HBJ July 23 Issue

ECONOMY

Governor Ivey Addresses Huntsville-Madison County Via Video for 2023 Alabama Update

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey addressed guests of the Huntsville/Madison Chamber of Commerce by video on Thursday after problems with her state airplane rendered her unable to make her scheduled appearance for the 2023 Alabama Update.

By Noah Logan - Page 5

TOURISM

Madison County Tourism Impact Exceeds $2 Billion in 2022

The Alabama Tourism Department released its 2022 Alabama Tourism Economic Report, which shows that the travel and tourism industry in Madison County has surpassed previous estimates and brought in $2.1 billion dollars in tourism revenue.

By Marie Johnson - Page

16

ADDITIONAL STORIES

• Sit Down With Success: A Conversation with Nick Lioce of The Lioce Group

By Heather Smith • Page 3

• Bank Independent Hosts Block Party to Kick Off Newly Opened Downtown Location

By Noah Logan • Page 6

• HudsonAlpha Faculty Investigator Leading Research for Sustainable Agriculture

By Ashlyn Grey • Page 18

A Conversation with Nick Lioce of The Lioce Group

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.

The Lioce Group is a Huntsville staple, providing office equipment and introducing streamlined solutions to the Huntsville business community for nearly 60 years. Founded in Huntsville in 1967, it is family-owned and operated, with three generations in the business. The son of founders Nick and Louise, Nick Lioce, joined the business in 1989 and found his niche in document management and automation. Today, the business has nearly 100 employees, including Nick’s children, Anthony and Bonnie.

Nick recently sat down with the Huntsville Business Journal to talk about where the company has been, where it’s going, and how it has influenced the Huntsville business community.

What do you like best about being a business owner?

I love Huntsville, and I like being part

of the business community, networking and trying to help keep our community great. I like to see our employees’ families flourish. My decisions affect every one of their families, so it's good to see that they're growing. We've given raises every year we've been in business, even through the pandemic.

How do you balance life outside of work?

My mom and dad put the emphasis on family. Family always comes first. We tell all of our employees that too. We don't want The Lioce Group to be in the top three on your list. You need to put your God, your family, your friends, and your sanity before work.

What are your company values, and how does that influence your business?

The motto is “Do the right thing.” Generally nine times out of ten you always know what the right thing to do is. It's not one thing, it's a thousand things, and my parents have been doing that for 55 years. That's why the business keeps flourishing.

What advice would you give to someone starting a business?

Most people start a business because they have a good idea, and you have to do a lot of planning and market research and you have to think, what's going to happen with that idea three, five, 10 years down the road.

Would you consider yourself an entrepreneur?

Yes, my father was well known for introducing new technologies and being entrepreneurial, and it turns out I do that too. For example, recently we brought on the EV (electric vehicle) chargers, and I was the first in our entire industry to do that. We're always exploring the needs of the customer and keeping an open mind.

How does your business stay relevant in modern and changing times?

It is an important challenge because of e-commerce and everything going on with the Internet. You can't know everything, so I'm a member of best practices groups with dealers. I'm a member of CEO groups locally and do a lot of reading and research.

Where do you envision the business going in the future?

I'm very comfortable with the future of the business now that I have my children in it and a great group of young professionals to be able to carry it forward. You have to invest in your people. You've got to make it worth their while if they're going to work for you for 20 or 30 years, and we do a lot of things at the company to keep our employees engaged. w

By: Heather Smith /

Photo by Steve Babin

President /Publisher

Subsidiary of EVENT Publishing

Todd Stephenson

Editor Gus Wintzell

Writers

Contributing Writers

Graphic Design

Laura Boehringer

J. Chadwick Gay

Ashlyn Grey

Marie Johnson

Noah Logan

Heather Smith

Alexander Duck

Jim Steele

Justina Simon

Website Jim Gharib

Photographers

Steve Babin

Justina Simon

Director of Sales …………………………………… Carolyn Stephenson

Distribution Glenda Mace

Huntsville Business Journal is published monthly by EVENT Publishing, PO Box 14219, Huntsville, AL 35815. For advertising information call 256.533.8078, e-mail todd@eventhuntsville.com, or visit us on the web at www.huntsvillebusinessjournal.com

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Governor Ivey Addresses Huntsville-Madison County Via Video for 2023 Alabama Update

Alabama Governor Kay Ivey addressed guests of the Huntsville/ Madison Chamber of Commerce by video on Thursday, June 8, after problems with her state airplane rendered her unable to make her scheduled appearance for the 2023 Alabama Update.

Along with the short video provided by Ivey, State Finance Director Bill Poole addressed the sold-out crowd in the Governor’s absence.

In her video address, Ivey celebrated the fact that all 12 Alabama metro areas “ranked among the lowest metropolitan unemployment rates in the country” for the month of April.

She also made special mention of Huntsville, pointing out that the metro, along with Decatur, saw unemployment rates drop down to 1.4 percent, which ties for the fourth lowest metro rate nationally.

“Y’all, these are historical and we’re not slowing,” Ivey proclaimed.

Director Poole expanded on the state’s unemployment numbers which included the Birmingham – Hoover metro as lowest in the nation among metros with at least 1 million people for the second consecutive month at 1.6%.

Two other Alabama metros placed in the top ten for the lowest metropolitan unemployment rates: Auburn-Opelika and DaphneFairhope-Foley.

Poole also shared that Alabama’s current 2.2 percent unemployment puts it in the top five states with the lowest jobless rates.

“It wasn’t that long ago that our unemployment numbers were north of 10 percent,” Poole explained. “It’s creating new challenges in the workforce; we all know that, but it is great to have low unemployment.”

Governor Ivey, through Poole, again made her position clear regarding the ongoing U.S. Space Command saga.

“Alabama’s the only choice for the U.S. Space Command headquarters and she is committed to that,” exclaimed Poole. “The two year delay in

the official announcement of a permanent home for Space Command, while its mission is becoming ever more critical, cannot be seen as anything other than political.”

“Governor Ivey is proud to add her voice to the strong force of bipartisan support for a thorough investigation of the Biden administration’s delay of announcing a permanent home for Space Command headquarters,” Poole added.

Other talking points during the luncheon focused on various aspects passed in Alabama’s 2023 legislative session that ended this week.

“(Ivey’s) proposed education budget for fiscal year 2024 was ambitious and she’s very pleased and appreciative, as am I, that the legislature approved funding for a variety of major education goals,” said Poole.

“In this session, thanks to legislative support, we are expanding our award-winning first class pre-K program into some of our highest poverty areas to help ensure that all of our children have access to pre-k. Full implementation of these acts include math and reading camps that should begin over the next few days. The bottom line is this, if a student in Alabama needs catching up or just needs help, they need to have every opportunity to get that help and achieve that success.”

It isn’t just the students who will benefit from the expanded edu-

cation budget. Governor Ivey again called for public school teachers to receive a pay raise.

“This marks the sixth year in a row that the governor has proposed

a pay raise for our teachers,” Poole stated. “Kudos again to the legislature for granting that. We have to have effective teachers. We have to recruit them, we have to retain them and our schools of higher education need to produce more of them.”

This will mark a total pay increase of 15 percent, around $6,000, in her tenure as governor.

Ivey, who is a former teacher, stated that her goal to have the starting salary of all Alabama teachers be the highest in the Southeast by the end of her term directly corresponds with her efforts in recruiting, retaining and preparing the teachers of tomorrow. w

By: Noah Logan / Photo courtesy of Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce

Bank Independent Hosts Block Party to Kick Off Newly Opened Downtown Location

Bank Independent let their presence be heard and felt through downtown Huntsville on Tuesday, June 13 as hundreds gathered in the streets to witness the grand opening of the bank’s newest location.

Bank Independent and Prince Holdings, who partnered on the development project, celebrated the 225 Holmes Avenue location with live music, free swag for everyone and enough green clothes to make Saint Patrick himself green with envy.

One individual who works in the Mayor’s office even described it as an “Open display of strength.” It’s hard to blame them for that assessment and equally difficult to fault Bank Independent if that’s true.

The new project is a breathtaking five-story, mixed-use development project in the heart of the city’s business district. Each floor features 15,000 square feet of space totaling over 77,000 square feet of much needed Class A office space and ground floor retail opportunity. Nola VanPeursem Architects served as the architectural firm while Robins & Morton was the lead contractor.

Brendan Prince of Prince Holdings, a local, family owned and operated asset management firm, gave the opening remarks at the ceremony and touched on the path Prince Holdings and Bank Independent took on

their way to becoming partners.

“I remember getting a phone call saying, ‘Hey, there's this bank we'd like you to meet to potentially partner with on a project at this site in downtown. And we really weren't interested in partnering with anyone,” Prince Admitted.

“However, we took the meeting. We met with Pruitt Malden and John Bowling. They told us about Bank Independent and the more they told us, the more it resonated with us and the more we saw ourselves potentially in a partnership with an organization like this. We could sense their authenticity and their desire to do something great in downtown Huntsville,”

Prince continued. He also recalled some of the specific points along the way that proved

By: Noah Logan / Photos courtesy of Bank Independent/ Huntsville EVENT Magazine

he was right to change his mind.

“What was most impressive was their firm’s grasp and understanding

Mayor Tommy Battle addresses the audience at the opening of downtown Huntsville Bank Independent location

of bank independent employees and their customers' needs,” he shared. “I particularly remember one of the OAC meetings early on, we were just trudging through spec pages of upcoming acquisitions, HVAC and electrical flooring. John and Chad stopped the meeting and said, ‘I see on here that you've got lighting with X amount of wattage.’ They said our employees here really like and work better with lighting with this other amount of wattage. I think that says a lot about an organization and their commitment to their people to learn and find out what their employees like and don't like.”

Mayor Tommy Battle followed up Prince’s speech and proclaimed the day’s celebration was about more than just relocating buildings.

“Today is a point of inflection,” Mayor Battle began. “We're not just moving an office or opening a new office here. We’re also opening our latest new building in the downtown area, which signifies the growth of our whole city. It’s something very special.”

He also made sure to thank Bank Independent for their part in downtown’s newest addition.

“It doesn't happen without the backing of the bank. And it doesn't happen without the funds. The funds have come primarily from Bank Independent, who has made a lot of great decisions in this town and helped us continue to grow and continue to get better. So we are very excited today to be part of the Bank Independent

team,” said Mayor Battle.

Bank Independent’s Huntsville City President DeMarco McClain shared his pride and appreciation of the company’s journey and what they stand for.

“This is an important day,” McClain cheered. “When I look up there, (the top of the new location) I get pride and appreciation for the journey of where we've come from and where we're going. I'm proud of the contributions that we've made to brick and mortar, which will include six locations in Madison County by the end of this year.”

“However, I'm also proud of our community involvement,” he continued. “The bank is, at its core, about giving back to the communities we serve. It’s a great feeling to be with a financial institution that supports community in the way that we do. While we are investing in real estate and we enjoy contributing to the economic development in North Alabama through construction projects and small business funding, giving back to the communities that we serve is a legacy that I'm honored to be a part of both personally and professionally.”

Sections of the first floor, as well as all the second, third and fourth, are available for lease through Crunkleton Commercial Real Estate. The first floor has two spaces available that can be combined into one 5,512 square foot space. The second floor has 14,612 square feet available while the third floor has 14,589 and the fourth floor has 14,522. w

Introducing the Blind Tiger: Downtown Huntsville’s Newest Event Space

When Angela Panzica moved to Huntsville, Alabama from Florida around five years ago, she immediately saw the demand for change in the downtown scene of Huntsville and had a vision for how she could help.

Angela described Huntsville’s nightlife and downtown scene as “poised for a cultural Renaissance” marked by the thousands of people moving to the burgeoning city. Inspiration came easy, as many Huntsville citizens and close friends had truly vivid ideas on how they wanted the Rocket City to grow.

“Coming from a bigger city around five years ago, I felt like Huntsville was on the brink of a major cultural change. I heard from so many people what they wanted from Huntsville, and I was really inspired by my travels and experiences in bigger cities, so it became really easy to open a new bar downtown. It was Huntsville’s time, and I wanted to be a part of that growth,” said Angela.

Angela opened Stella’s Elixir Lounge in December 2020, and with the open air concept and two balconies, she had no trouble working with social distancing guidelines during COVID. Stella’s would eventually grow to be a staple that marked Huntsville’s continued downtown nightlife scene.

As COVID began to wane, ideas continued to grow and visions began to change. Huntsville citizens asked for more.

“People started asking for private events and small parties, and even though we can accommodate these at Stella’s, we wanted to keep this place constantly open to the public and keep the flow going rather than shut this place down for a private event,” said Angela.

This challenged her to solidify what Stella’s meant to her and to Huntsville, and sparked a new idea for a niche event space in the heart of downtown: the Blind Tiger.

The “Blind Tiger” is a prohibition term that harkens back to a 1920s signal for speakeasies. During the prohibition era, storefronts in cities would sometimes have images of animals hidden throughout the store that, when found by knowing people, indicated a speakeasy nearby.

The vibe of the Blind Tiger builds off of this idea. When the location officially opens, the front of the event space will feature a facade storefront with a hallway leading to the event room in the back. Patrons will immediately notice the full service bar to their left, a key center piece to the location.

The two locations, the Blind Tiger and Stella’s, although both owned and managed by Dyestone Hospitality Group, host entirely different purposes and vibes. Angela describes Stella’s as more laid back and able to accommodate a variety of different events and styles. The Blind Tiger plans to offer an entirely unique experience.

“The event space, which will be uniquely catered toward

small to medium sized events, will be much different that an average dance hall. The idea is to create a more upscale, sophisticated feel that will help create a singular experience for patrons. This idea will allow Stella’s to retain its core identity while creating the foundation for something entirely new. At the Blind Tiger, we want to offer a truly VIP experience,” said Angela. But most important to Angela is what this new development means for Huntsville.

“It’s about building a culture in

Huntsville and building a distinguished event space. It is really important for me that people understand that the Blind Tiger is its own entity. There are other stores, bars, and places across the U.S. named the ‘Blind Tiger’, but we are not affiliated with them. This idea came from a local, woman-owned small business here in town, which to me makes this a truly Huntsville project and will be a part of Huntsville’s culture,” said Angela.

The Blind Tiger will be located at 113 Clinton Avenue next to the Russell Erskine building in downtown Huntsville. The project is slated for completion this Fall. Dyestone Hospitality Group owns and will operate the event space, and Turner Construction is the leading contractor for the development.

The Huntsville Business Journal team will provide updates in the near future. Stay tuned to our social media, newspaper, and daily newsletter for more information. w

Angela Panzica, owner of the Blind Tiger and Stella's Elixir Lounge

By: Gus Wintzell / Photos by Gus Wintzell

Drake State Breaks Ground on Advanced Manufacturing Facility

On June 9 at 10 a.m., Drake State Community & Technical College hosted a groundbreaking ceremony for the upcoming Drake State Advanced Manufacturing Center which will train students in aerospace and other advanced manufacturing work at 3421 Meridian Street North.

The 50,000 square foot facility will house new programs including engineering design and mechatronics, the skills needed to operate automated manufacturing machinery. It will include space for machine tool technology, welding and drafting and design in addition to flex labspace, which is to be adaptable to immediate changes based on industry demand.

In this region, 200 jobs for mechatronics engineers and 74 jobs for aerospace connected technicians are available each year, according to Vice Chancellor of the Alabama Community College System, Susan Price. “These are the types of jobs that can transform lives and communities,” Price said. “In about 15 months, students here in Huntsville will walk through the doors of a $30 million and approximately 50,000 square foot facility that will set them up for a level of success that can change the trajectory of future generations.”

District 19 Representative Laura Hall thanked the community for the opportunities the new

facility could bring disadvantaged students. “Thank you on behalf of the students,” Hall said. “Most importantly for those students that I know whose pictures aren't on anybody's dresser, whose monsters are real. If you give them an opportunity to believe then they can, too, reimagine the future.”

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, addressing the Alabama Community College System said, “The money that you send here will be money that will end up turning into jobs, and turning into industry, and turning into something that makes not only Huntsville and North Alabama a better place but makes the

state a better place.”

By: Laura Boehringer

/ Photos courtesy of Drake State/Gus Wintzell

Other speakers included Drake State President Dr. Patricia

Sims, Madison County Commission Chair Mac McCutcheon and Huntsville/Madison County

Groundbreaking of Drake State's Advanced Manufacturnig Facility

Chamber President Lynn Troy, all of whom spoke to their excitement about the facility’s potential in helping Huntsville students and the wider community and commended the work of Sims. Other elected officials in attendance were Huntsville/Madison

EDUCATION

County Chamber Vice President of Workforce Lindsay Ferguson and Alabama Community College System Chancellor Jimmy Baker.

The Drake State Advanced Manufacturing Center is scheduled to be complete in fall of 2024. The facility, its interior and its landscape

will be designed by the Goodwyn Mills Cawood architecture firm. The facility will be constructed by Fite Building Company. The ACCS ASPIRE 2030 initiative, which funds the construction of educational buildings at all levels in Alabama, identified the facility

as a necessity.

Those participating in the groundbreaking itself were President Sims, Senior Vice Chancellor Price, Mark Salmon, Representative Hall, Mayor Battle, Chairman McCutchen, Dr. Beth Richardson and Hunter Swanson. w

NASA officials gathered at the Marshall Flight Center in Huntsville on Friday, June 9, to announce the selection of Blue Origin of Kent, Washington, as a second Artemis Lunar Lander provider.

According to NASA, Blue Origin will design, develop, test, and verify its Blue Moon lander to meet NASA’s human landing system (HLS) requirements for recurring astronaut expeditions to the lunar surface, including docking with Gateway, a space station where crew transfer in lunar orbit. In addition to design and development work, the contract includes one uncrewed demonstration mission to the lunar surface before a crewed demo on the Artemis V mission in 2029. The total award value of the firm-fixed price contract is $3.4 billion.

NASA Partners With Blue Artemis Lunar

By: J. Chadwick Gay / Photos

“We're here to celebrate the newest member of the HLS fam-

ily and newest member of the Artemis family and kick off that next big step in creating a lunar ecosystem,” said Jim Free, NASA Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development. “With this incredible capability, we’ll reduce costs to taxpayers and create new business opportunities to further foster a linear economy where NASA can be a customer among many. It’s truly groundbreaking and humanity-changing. We've never built an ecosystem on another celestial body, and it will be challenging. However, we have to deliver on our capabilities across all of Artemis. That's ultimately my responsibility.

“I'm challenging the Blue Origin team today and the entire HLS team to bring Blue Moon online in a timely manner,” Free added. “With that landing system, we'll have another tool in our tool belt to help meet our mission needs. I truly be-

lieve in the team that we have at NASA, the team that we have across the industry, and what they are capable of.”

Adding another human landing system partner to NASA’s Artemis program will increase competition, reduce costs to taxpayers, support

a regular cadence of lunar landings, further invest in the lunar economy, and help NASA achieve its goals on and around the Moon in preparation for future astronaut missions to Mars.

The agency previously contracted SpaceX to demonstrate an initial hu-

“We're here to celebrate the newest member of the HLS family and newest member of the Artemis family and kick off that next big step in creating a lunar ecosystem,”

Chamber V-20, a 20-foot thermal vacuum facility at the Environmental Test Facility at Marshall Space Flight Center. Chamber V-20 can simulate the vacuum of space to facilitate component-level testing, systems-level testing and integrated hardware testing.

Tom Bryan, Senior Engineer for the Flat Floor Robotics Lab at Marshall Space Flight Center, explains joint testing of spacecraft mechanisms and sensors in the Marshall Space Flight Center to simulate the docking of spacecraft and the transfer of cryogenic fuel.

Jim Free, NASA Associate Administrator for Exploration Systems Development, addresses guests and media to announce the start of human landing system work with Blue Origin and their team of partners to land astronauts on the Moon for the Artemis V mission.

Blue Origin on $3.4 Billion Lander Project

Photos courtesy of J. Chadwick Gay

man landing system for the Artemis III mission. Under that contract, the agency also directed SpaceX to evolve its design to meet the agency’s requirements for sustainable exploration and to demonstrate the lander on Artemis IV. As a result of the contract with Blue Origin to demonstrate on Artemis V a lander that meets these same sustainable lander requirements, including capabilities for increased crew size, longer mission duration, and delivery of more mass to the Moon, multiple providers will be available to compete for future opportunities to fulfill NASA’s lunar surface access needs for Artemis missions.

“I'm happy to be working with the Blue Origin team, as well as their other partners, Lockheed Martin, Boeing, Draper, Astrobotic, and Honeybee Robotics, several of which have a presence here in Huntsville,” said Lisa Watson-Morgan, NASA Human Landing System Program Manager. “Since 2019, nearly $3.4 billion has come to the center under the HLS program contracts with a plan for an additional $10 billion planned over the next five years, should things go well, which I anticipate that they will.”

Through Artemis, NASA will send astronauts – including the first woman and first person of color –to explore the Moon for scientific discovery, economic benefits, and to build the foundation for crewed missions to Mars. Together, the SLS rocket, Orion, Gateway, advanced spacesuits, and human landing systems are NASA’s foundation for deep space exploration.

The Artemis mission is drawing on what was learned during the Apollo 11 lunar module (LM) moon landing in 1969, and that information is still relevant today and vitally important to the Artemis mission.

“The LM was an incredible effort,” said John Couluris, Blue Origin Vice President for Lunar Transporta-

tion. “All of Apollo … that was the great pathfinder for what we're doing today. What we're doing today, though, is ensuring that we have reliable repeatable, low costaccess to anywhere on the moon day or night. So, we're trying to ensure lunar permanence – a permanent presence of humanity on the moon. And that's why this architecture is so different. We have to carry four astronauts anywhere on the moon for stays over 30 days with a module if that's the case. So, there's a lot more capability in this architecture and a lot more capability in the lander than there was in those early days. Those early days, though, of course, provided us with a knowledge base to now be where we are today.”

“I'm looking forward to continuing our successful partnerships and expanding an already thriving relationship with Blue Origin,” said Jody Singer, NASA Marshall Space Flight Center Director. “Marshall Space Flight Center currently has 24 active agreements with Blue Origin, which represents more than $20 million of reimbursable funding being paid to Marshall Space Flight Center in this area of our expertise and code, including propulsion and materials testing. As well, on-site we have a test stand that was once used to test the Saturn 4 and the shuttle, which is now being leased by Blue Origin to test their BE-4 engines. You know, it's so exciting to think we'll soon be test-firing lander engines on that test stand, and we'll be hearing the skies rumble.” w

Victor Pritchett, Deputy Branch Chief for VT20?, explains the features and function of Chamber V-20, a 20-foot thermal vacuum facility at the Environmental Test Facility at Marshall Space Flight Center. Chamber V-20 can simulate the vacuum of space to facilitate component-level testing, systems-level testing and integrated hardware testing.

‘We Are Not Quitters’: Tom Brown’s Announces South Huntsville Grand Opening

The wait is over for South Huntsville’s newest dining option at Hay’s Farm. Less than a month after celebrating the third year anniversary for the Madison location on June 1st, Tom and Ashley Brown’s newest south Huntsville location for Tom Brown’s is coming to sweet completion.

When Tom and Ashley Brown moved to Huntsville, Alabama from Mississippi in 2019, they had no idea of the “roller coaster ride” that they would experience over the next few years.

In 2020, catching onto the major developments happening in the City of Madison at the time, the couple opened their first location of Tom Brown’s, which quickly garnered community attention and appreciation. They thought a second location was not really on their minds at the time, but soon after an offer fell into their laps that the couple could not refuse.

Shortly after Tom and Ashley began working on the project, the effects of COVID-19 began to drastically shut down supply chains across the world. Opening a second location went from a big challenge to an entirely different beast of its own.

Ashley sat down with the Huntsville Business Journal to discuss some of these hardships and answer some of the larger questions that Huntsville residents had for months.

With David Guetta’s song “Work Hard” playing ironically in the background, Ashley recollected on the major hurdles that seemed to arise each and every month. Staffing and supply shortages, like all restaurants at the time, became an issue.

Ashley mentioned problems finding chairs, enough glassware for the bar, and even an electrical board that took more than 8 months to arrive. At times, Ashley mentioned, the couple began to have doubts and serious questions, especially when the project started on its second full year with no end in sight.

“We questioned what the lesson was through all of this, and what we found was patience. We had to have patience to keep us working on our knees for hours scraping literally every inch of this floor, and we had to have patience for every step of the process when it came to delays in equipment. When it comes down to it, Tom and I are not quitters. We just found pa-

tience along the way,” said Ashley.

And from this patience and hard work came a truly unique dining experience that feels brand new to South Huntsville.

The Hays Market location is where Maximalism and Art Deco meet in a brilliant display of stunning lighting and unique art pieces. The idea for Tom Brown’s is premium casual: it can feature dinner parties worthy of a suit and tie, or fit a more casual date night experience.

The restaurant features more than a dozen chandeliers, mirrors that help spread moody lighting throughout the restaurant and over the bar, a private room for parties and events, and handmade art pieces with some of the South’s greatest icons, such as Nick Saban and Dolly Parton.

And then there are the giraffes. Yes, Tom Brown’s South Huntsville location features three giraffes handcrafted in Italy specially designed for the new restaurant. Two are incorporated artisti-

By: Gus Wintzell / Photos courtesy of Tom Brown’s

cally into light fixtures, and one greets guests in the front of the store.

The food at Tom Brown’s features beef sourced exclusively from a North Alabama farm, while the seafood is flown in weekly as well as sourced from a local seafood market. This gives local flavor and flair to the recipes that Tom himself picks for each of t he North Alabama restaurants. The menu features everything from fried alligator to certified angus beef steaks that are hand cut daily and prepared fresh and never from frozen products.

The bar scene features a floor to ceiling wine rack and a creative menu centered around the bartender’s personal choices.

“Our rotating menu allows our bartenders to stay creative, and it also makes our menu unique. I want to surround myself with people that are better than me at what they do. I felt like creating a menu without consulting literal experts was a bad business decision,” said Ashley.

Between the menu, cocktails, and comfortable vibe of Tom Brown’s second location, there is something for everyone to enjoy. If that is not enough, at least come for the giraffes.

“What I really want the Huntsville community to know is that we have heard you. We have heard the questions and anticipation you have had for this new location. It has not been easy, but we have something here that I truly believe will beat all your expectations. And of course, I have to mention art. Who else has a giraffe hanging from the wall? We have two,” Ashley concluded.

Tom Brown's soft opening was held on June 26 and a VIP even on June 27. Reservations are now open for the grand opening to the public slated for July 5th. The restaurant is located at Hays Farm, one of the newest developments to hit South Huntsville.

For more information, please visit https://tombrownsrestaurant.com/ huntsville-location. w

Small Business Spotlight: Talking Clothing and Style One Man’s Vintage

Caleb Shaw and Anna Rojas collect vintage clothing, specifically apparel from the 1990s. As it turns out, a lot of other people like to collect and wear 90s-era clothing too.

“We started collecting vintage stuff, just shopping for ourselves at local Goodwills and thrift stores,” Rojas explained. “It started growing into what our family would like. Our family is big Bears fans or big Viking fans, and then it started growing to what other people would like. We started collecting more, and then we started posting online pieces that were available for sale in 2019, right before the pandemic hit.”

During the pandemic, online sales took off, and the young couple grew a local following, selling their wares at farmers markets or pop-up outdoor flea markets.

“We tested the waters there,” Shaw said, “and met a few people that were interested in vintage, and would ask us, ‘Do you guys have a store because this is super cool?’ We're like, ‘No, sorry, this is it, we have two racks, and the rest is in our apartment.’”

Selling vintage clothing was something 26-year-old Shaw and 25-year-old Rojas did on the side. Rojas studied wildlife fisheries and aquaculture at Mississippi State, while Shaw pursued electrical engineering at UAH. Shaw was working as an engineer on government defense contracts when the clothing business took off.

“We had the business on the side doing it online, and then it was just something I was more passionate about,” Shaw recalled. “It’s something I really felt could go somewhere, and something I really cared about. So we just said, ‘Let's do it.’”

So they opened a vintage clothing shop, One Man’s Vintage, on Clinton Row in downtown Huntsville.

Shaw’s appreciation for vintage sportswear points back to his dad. “My dad grew up in Chicago with Michael Jordan there in the ‘90s, so he would always show me old highlights. That's how we bonded. That

By: Heather Smith

Batman movie’ and they're like ‘Oh my God, this makes me feel like a kid again,’” Shaw said. “People who are like, ‘Oh, I used to have that same tshirt when I was a little kid,’ or ‘I went to that specific concert, and it was my parents and my first concert together,’ things like that. I feel like the nostalgia really sets in.”

Rojas, too, appreciates the stories behind the clothing. One of her favorite stories begins with a fortunate find at a garage sale in Chicago. At first it didn’t look too promising.

merged into my love of vintage and finding those pieces that reminded me of my dad, what he would like, and what he would wear.”

He believes one reason vintage and throwback apparel is so popular is it lets people travel back in time in their memories and reflect on good times in the past.

“We always get a lot of comments about, ‘Oh my God, I remember when I had that specific pennant,’ or ‘I remember when I saw that specific

“But a gut feeling told me to go towards the back of the garage, because sometimes they have a couple hidden things back there, and I found a Jeff Hamilton Phoenix Coyotes jacket, and it was kind of rare. It was back when the Phoenix Coyotes were just Phoenix; now, they're Arizona. It was their old logo and a cool tribal print, and it was probably the craziest find I've ever seen, for a pretty low price as well.”

They posted about the rare find on Instagram, and fans went crazy for it. But the item wasn’t for sale. “We didn't want to ship it,” Rojas said. “We wanted to hold onto it and display it here in the shop. We actually had a hockey player, who's really familiar with hockey here in the Huntsville area. He was a college student and he said he saved up all his money to purchase our jacket.”

Another great find was a collection of Grateful Dead t-shirts from a man who followed the band on tour for about a decade and had t-shirts from every stop on the tour. “He had almost ten years, so that's just a cool story, which I think goes back to vintage, having a story and having an emotional place in some people's heart that we're trying to connect to,” Rojas said.

“It's more than just clothing. It’s the connection to it. We want people to come in and we want to sell things, but we also want the person to feel good about it and be like, ‘This is a shirt that I don't ever want to get rid of because it means so much to me or reminds me of something.’” w

/ Photos provided by Heather Smith

Caleb Shaw and Anna Rojas, owners of One Man's Vintage

“We always get a lot of comments about, ‘Oh my God, I remember when I had that specific pennant,’ or ‘I remember when I saw that specific Batman movie’ and they're like ‘Oh my God, this makes me feel like a kid again,’”

Madison County Tourism Impact Exceeds $2 Billion In 2022

The Alabama Tourism Department released its 2022 Alabama Tourism Economic Report, which shows that the travel and tourism industry in Madison County has surpassed previous estimates and brought in $2.1 billion dollars in tourism revenue.

This represents a 20% increase of the 2021 figures.

With a record 3.9 million visitors in 2022, Madison County became the second-most visited county in the state, second only to the Gulf Coast-adjacent Baldwin County.

“We’re thrilled to see new visitor and economic impact records for Madison County,” states Judy Ryals, President and CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau. “With the continuing growth of the community as well as the addition of world-class facilities like The Orion Amphitheater, I’m confident that we’ll see the numbers continue to increase,” Ryals added.

This surprisingly-strong recovery of the travel and tourism industry, both for Madison County and the State of Alabama as a whole, has enabled the creation of thousands of jobs, both directly and indirectly. Economists say that for every two jobs directly within the industry, an additional job is created that is more tangentially-related to it.

The report cites the creation of

1,000 new jobs in, or related to, the industry in Madison County alone, bringing the total of jobs dependent on the travel and tourism industry to 22,000. Of those 22,000,

14,878 jobs in Madison County were directly related to travel and tourism, with an additional 7,122 jobs indirectly-related.

Statewide, 238,000 Alabamians were employed in the tourism industry. 11.3% of non-agriculture jobs in the state of Alabama in the year 2022 were travel and tourism-related, either directly or indirectly.

With high demand for travel and tourism services, tax revenue from that industry saw a corresponding boost. In Madison County alone, the Annual State Lodging Tax revenue increased by almost 20% from 2021 to 2022, bringing in $10,231,080 to

By: Marie Johnson /

the local coffers. Because of the tax revenue generated by the travel and tourism industry, Madison County residents saved more than $1,200 each in taxes that they otherwise would have had to pay to maintain current city and county services.

Perhaps it should not be so surprising that Madison County has grown to be the second-greatest tourism draw in the state. While NASA’s Space Camp and the Space and Rocket Center has been bringing in visitors for decades now, the extensive growth and modernization that has made the city of Huntsville both the largest city in

Photos courtesy of Madison County CVB

“With the continuing growth of the community as well as the addition of world-class facilities like The Orion Amphitheater, I’m confident that we’ll see the numbers continue to increase”

the state as well as the hub of aerospace science in the South has also made the town an attractive place to work and visit.

Huntsville’s dining options have improved in recent years, bringing more international and artisanal cuisine to the region. The city’s sports facilities have been greatly-improved and updated. The Von Braun Center and the new Orion Amphitheater draw in crowds from around the region to see live performances. And the hospitality industry has been busy constructing new hotels and renovating older ones, to service these visitors’ lodging needs.

It is especially heartening to see the restaurant industry recovering from the vicious blow dealt to it by the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2022, food service expenditures accounted for 27% of the travel and tourism spending statewide. That comes out to a whopping $5,990,226,296.

More than half of travel-related jobs are food service jobs. Thousands upon thousands of Alabama residents are gaining employment in this field as the demand for service in the state continues to increase.

The 2022 Alabama Tourism Economic Report demonstrates just how critical this industry has become, both for Alabama and for Madison County in particular. It creates jobs for residents, generates tax revenue for the state and local governments, and gives people from all over the chance to experience our beautiful state and city. Barring the dip from the pandemic, the Alabama tourism industry has been growing for the past 13 years. With our eye towards the future of aerospace industries and the exciting frontier of space tourism, there’s every reason to believe that Madison County could become the leading tourism hub of not just Alabama, but the entire region. w

HudsonAlpha Faculty Investigator Leading Research for Sustainable Agriculture

Faculty Investigator Alex Harkess’ laboratory at HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and their collaborators New West Genetics were recently awarded a three-year, $650,000 United States Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture (USDA-NIFA) grant that aims to unlock the full potential of industrial hemp, a versatile plant used for centuries as a source of industrial fiber, seed oil, food, and medicine.

In the changing climate, the need for more adapted and sustainable crops continues to grow. Industrial hemp is a promising candidate for sustainable fiber, protein, and oil because it has a deep, massive root structure that sequesters more carbon than typical row crops, requires lower inputs, and has greater drought and pest resistance.

HudsonAlpha Faculty Investigator Alex Harkess, PhD, and his team are experts at studying the genetic basis of sex in plants. Through this USDA-NIFA

grant, Harkess and his lab will build several highquality hemp genomes and use them to identify and analyze the hemp sex chromosome pairs.

Using a pipeline developed in the lab, the team will identify the master sex determination genes in hemp, which can be modified to control sex and increase the proportion of female plants, leading to a higher yield of fiber, oil, and protein. Breeding more female hemp plants will increase the yield and quality of hemp fiber, grain, and oil crops, making it a sustainable and valuable crop for farmers and consumers alike.

“Separate male and female sexes have evolved hundreds if not thousands of times in plants, and finding the genes that control sex determination

is so challenging because most plants do it very differently from each other,” shared Harkess.

“These genes are found on sex chromosomes, the most challenging chromosomes to sequence and assemble in plants. However, with HudsonAlpha’s historical expertise in plant genome sequencing, we are now able to reveal the full complexity of sex chromosomes in species like hemp and finally narrow in on the genes that control this agriculturally and economically valuable trait,” he continued.

By: Ashlyn Grey / Photos courtesy of HudsonAlpha

HudsonAlpha will work closely with New West Genetics, a global leader in creating premium, stable hemp seed genetics that are traits enhanced for sustainability, food, feed, and fiber applications. They have experience combining traditional breeding, modern genomics, and agronomic expertise to create non-GMO, proprietary hemp seed bred for multiple markets.

“Gaining greater understanding of the genomic basis for gender will be a powerful tool for improving the germplasm,” said John McKay, New West Genetics Chief Science Officer, and Professor of Plant Genetics at Colorado State University.

“We also are curious to see if these discoveries could be instructive for male/female breeding targets in other species, both plant and animal. Working with HudsonAlpha on this grant will be exciting and result in quality research with solid commercial applications,” McKay concluded. w

Real Estate Update Special Edition: Advice for Prospective Homeowners

For National Homeownership Month, the Huntsville Business Journal has asked the Huntsville Area Association of Realtors (HAAR) about what wouldbe homeowners can do to navigate the current market conditions, and make the best financial decisions for their households.

But before getting into those tips, HAAR President Chris Hulser offered some insights as to why looking into homeownership may be a wise choice, even in the face of the higher interest rates that we’ve seen this past year.

“When you own your own home, you build equity over time as you pay down your mortgage,” he told the HBJ. “This equity can be used as an asset and investment that can be used for future financial ventures.”

Hulser also stressed the stability and predictability of financing a home versus the rental market. “Unlike renting, where landlords can increase rent prices, homeownership offers stability in monthly mortgage payments. With a fixed-rate mortgage, you have predictable

payments, making it easier to budget and plan your finances.”

Moreover, homeownership can be a potent financial tool in and of itself. Leveraging the value of the property is useful for gaining access to loans or lines of credit, granting homeowners the ability to access loans or lines of credit that renters may not. While the appreciation of a property’s value is not a given, when that value does appreciate, it further financially-empowers the homeowners, potentially kicking off a self-reinforcing feedback loop of appreciation and opportunity.

This cycle, combined with post-World War II legislation like the GI Bill, is what built the modern American middle class. Homeownership is a critical component of the establishment of not only financial security in one’s own lifetime, but of an intergenerational wealth, that can be bequeathed to our children and grandchildren, to keep them secure long after we, ourselves, are gone.

Now that we’ve established why homeownership remains a worthy goal to work towards, let us turn our attention to

how we might best navigate the task of financing that goal. Mortgage loan officer Lacy Dyar offered her tips for those looking to become homeowners.

1. Always contact a lender before you begin your search. You don’t want to fall in love with a home only to find out it’s not in your price range.

2. Know your “ideal” budget. Just because you can afford a home on paper, make sure you’re comfortable with the payment amount INCLUDING property tax and insurance.

3. Ask your lender for options! You should always have different options for rate, costs, and down payment so you can choose what is right for your individual scenario. There are seemingly endless ways to get the rate and payment that best fits your budget.

4. Ask for return on investment scenarios. Sometimes it’s a great value to spend money at closing for a lower rate, and sometimes it isn’t. Your lender should act as an advisor to show you what makes the most sense.

By: Marie Johnson

5. Prepare to provide documents up front. If you can provide income and asset documentation at application you could be preapproved instead of prequalified, which gives you more buying power.

6. Read up on the local housing market. The media may say home prices are dropping, but that’s only in certain areas (definitely not including our area). If you make a low offer on a home, be prepared for a counter offer or even a rejection.

7. Keep an open mind, and tap into your creativity. If you love everything about a home but it needs a little work or a few tweaks, consider a renovation loan program that allows you to include repairs or upgrades in the initial loan.

As always, the Huntsville Business Journal strongly recommends consulting with expert realtors and financial officers before making any real estate purchases. Real Estate Update will be back with our normal coverage of the local real estate market in our next column. w

Former Westlawn Middle School Now Open as West Huntsville’s Newest Modern Office Center

On Wednesday, June 14, hundreds of Huntsville community members gathered in anticipation to see some of the city’s newest office space.

What makes this office space so different from the rest in the city? Well, many of our readers probably attended middle school in this new complex.

Local developers Garret Coyne and Beth Stender Boyer purchased the former Westlawn Middle School in West Huntsville back in 2021 with the idea of redeveloping the space into affordable and high-quality workspaces in a centralized location. They knew that West Huntsville had the potential for major growth which Coyne was keen to elaborate on.

“We really saw this building as a potentially new gateway into the West Huntsville redevelopment and the West Huntsville renaissance that this whole district was seeing along Governor’s Corridor,”

“We really saw this building as a potentially new gateway into the West Huntsville redevelopment and

the West Huntsville renaissance that this whole district was seeing along Governor’s Corridor,” he explained. “We saw Ninth Avenue as a secondary gateway into the corridor starting here at Jordan Lane, ending all the way down to Clinton, through Seminole past Lowe Mill, and through the Triana Ninth intersection. We see this as a great corridor.”

This feeling of accomplishment regarding West Huntsville was also echoed by Mayor Tommy Battle in his remarks at the ceremony.

“This is really special because it’s the repurposing of a building. It’s part

of our sustainability plan. We take something that had a purpose of that in invigorated bright young minds, and now it's going to be part of our economy. It's going to invigorate our business. It's gonna make us a city that can grow,” Battle proclaimed.

“And it's very exciting that we see this happening right here in the West Huntsville area. People will come in here and they'll get started here, and they'll go bigger and bigger and bigger, and it will keep our economy rolling for years to come.”

During the event, Coyne also announced that local restaurant delivery

By: Noah Logan

service, GrubSouth, has moved its office to Westlawn as its first office-space-tenant. GrubSouth and all future tenants will have access to a conference center, kitchen, coffee bar, and collaborative workspaces as amenities.

The developers also revealed phase II plans for the site, which will transform the nearly one-acre courtyard into an outdoor amenity for tenants featuring breakout workspaces among the courtyard plans designed by former Westlawn Middle student Chad Bostic.

The GrubSouth announcement was not his only surprise. Coyne also shared with those in attendance that the group acquired additional buildings along Ninth Avenue to implement a larger development.

“I want everyone to know that it's not the last building on this corridor that we have,” Coyne revealed. “So over the next couple of years, we will be working on two more projects on Ninth Avenue Street, totalling 150,000 square feet of new

/ Photos courtesy of Todd Hess with Jeff White Photography/ Noah Logan

Local developers Garret Coyne and Beth Boyer cuts the ribbon for the Westlawn development alongside Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle

construction development.

“Those projects will be coming down the pipeline as we create this corridor along Ninth Avenue to bring people from the core of downtown Huntsville, out to the edge of West Huntsville, into the arsenal and into the rest of our community,”

COMMUNITY DEVELOPMENT

Coyne shared enthusiastically.

The space isn’t just for office tenants either. A commissary kitchen will open later this year in the school’s former cafeteria. This space will provide culinary entrepreneurs with a clean, licensed commercial kitchen to grow their business. This move makes

too much sense for those familiar with the two who are also responsible for the workforce development nonprofit Hatch.

The various suites range from just over one hundred eighteen square feet to over ten thousand which shows the developers serious

commitment to providing access to affordable workspace.

If you are interested in securing your own space within Westlawn, contact Walker Previous and Anusha Alacati Davis with Crunkleton Commercial Real Estate, who will act as leasing agents for the development. w

Building the Workplace: Onboarding Staff for Success

Quitting a new job within 90 days, called “quick quitting”, is on the rise. In fact, a 2022 Job Seeker Nation report found that 30% of respondents had done so recently. A third also indicated that they would voluntarily leave a job without another one lined up.

Companies and staffing agencies have become very efficient at recruitment but as staff continues to circulate faster, an increasing amount of resources are being lost in the first days and weeks of employment. This puts additional demand on the local talent pool and is costly for businesses. For these reasons, and several others, the process for onboarding new staff has become critical to welcoming and retaining new talent at any organization or business.

Effective Onboarding Generates Value

The benefits of an effective orientation and onboarding process are numerous, not only for employees, but also for the business. Effective onboarding increases employee engagement, retention, and productivity. In this way, solid training programs can help to reduce employee turnover and increase profitability. Conversely, those who have a negative orientation experience with an employer are less likely to recommend that company to friends and family, which then reduces talent attraction.

Onboarding is also a great opportunity to introduce new staff to the company’s values, history, and culture. Safety, for example, is a top priority in most manufacturing environments. It is important, then, not only to review safety guidelines – such as personal protective equipment (PPE) – but to also demonstrate a commitment to creating a safe work environment at all times.

Onboarding for Executive Staff

There are some additional considerations when onboarding executive level staff versus other team members. One key difference is that executives are often brought in to address important issues or help with specific initiatives, so they are often expected to initiate change instead of melding into the status quo. Executives have far more stakeholders to interact with and responsibilities to adopt, so getting them up to speed quickly is always a priority. A failed executive level manager can cost a company millions, and yet, nearly a third of global executives reported that

their onboarding experience was poor.

Length of Training and Orientation

On average, most new, hourly employees felt fully onboarded after three-and-a-half weeks on the job, while most supervisors reported it took their new staff nearly 90 days to reach this level of integration. This stark difference in perspective reveals a potential disconnect in expectations and may result from the lack of formal training parameters and benchmarks.

Prior research suggests that three months is a more typical timeframe for new employees to become fully trained and integrated. Having a formal orientation plan with specific milestones – such as at 30, 60, 90, and 120 days – alongside reasonable and measurable goals can help to create a more concrete process with far less ambiguity.

In fact, it can be quite helpful to have a first day, first week, and first month plan for each new employee. This guided plan inspires confidence and creates a clear path forward by establishing realistic expectations.

Strategies for Great Onboarding

Online resources for developing an effective onboarding program are abundant. Large companies may also elect to hire a third party consultant or educator to help them create their orientation program. Indeed provides a straightforward, twelve point checklist for new hire onboarding.

It is a best practice, whenever possible, to have all HR paperwork, devices, email accounts, etcetera, organized and ready to go on the team member’s first day to make the transition process as smooth and efficient as possible. Sending a welcome email with useful information, like date and time reminders, a first day schedule, driving directions, or parking instructions, is also recommended. Other important goals of onboarding include:

• Clarify job responsibilities and tasks (role clarity)

• Introduction to supervisors, coworkers, and stakeholders (social integration)

• Explanation of organizational values and priorities (company culture)

• Establish milestones and training goals

• Create a plan for periodic review,

support, and job coaching

It is also important that new staff members have an opportunity to provide feedback about their experience and that the organization reviews this information regularly to further improve their onboarding process.

Conclusion

Creating effective orientation and onboarding procedures should be a

By: Alex Duck

top priority for all modern businesses, especially as quick quitting becomes more common and socially acceptable. Onboarding, along with training and mentorship, if done correctly, can lead to higher rates of job satisfaction, retention, and employee performance. The goal of onboarding should always be setting up new team members for success and that must begin on day one. w

RECOGNITION RECOGNITION

Green Joins Bank Independent’s downtown Location

Bank Independent is pleased to announce that Crystal Green has joined our team as a VP Sales Officer at the Downtown Huntsville Sales Office located at 225 Holmes Avenue NE.

Green has over 24 years in the banking industry with most of that time coming on the retail side. She has spent the last six years in commercial banking.

“My goal is to live up to Bank Independent’s mission of making a positive difference in people’s lives by being a valuable resource for our clients and the community,” Green said.

She is a member of the Women’s Economic Development Council and holds a Business Administration degree from Wallace State Community College.

“We are excited to welcome Crystal to our Bank Independent family,” Bank Independent Huntsville City President, DeMarco McClain said. “Crystal is very familiar with our Bank culture and will be a great asset to our Huntsville team. Her experience and customer first approach are both assets that serve our Madison County customers for years to come.”

She and her husband, Kevin, live in Gurley and the have three children. Wyatt (24) is a member of the United States Air Force, while Caleb (16) and Kylie (13) are both enrolled in Huntsville City Schools.

Matt Curtis Real Estate Named #1 Real Estate Team in Alabama for Fourth Consecutive Year

Matt Curtis Real Estate, a leading residential real estate team based in Huntsville, AL, announced its recognition as the #1 Real Estate Team in Alabama for the fourth consecutive year. The prestigious honor was bestowed upon Matt Curtis Real Estate as part of the RealTrends + Tom Ferry The Thousand ranking program, a national initiative that identifies and celebrates the country's most successful brokerages, teams, and agents.

RealTrends + Tom Ferry The Thousand serves as a definitive benchmark of excellence within the residential real estate industry. Each year, the program compiles and verifies transaction sides and closed sales volume to determine the top performers nationwide. The Thousand places Matt Curtis Real Estate in the top .05% of more than 1.6 million licensed Realtors nationwide.

In addition to this remarkable achievement, Matt Curtis Real Estate secured a national ranking of #64 in the mega team category. This recognition highlights the team's exceptional dedication, expertise, and commitment to delivering outstanding results for their clients. Matt Curtis Real Estate's consistent success is a testament to their unwavering focus on providing exceptional service, industry-leading knowledge, and innovative marketing strategies.

"We are honored to be named the #1 Real Estate Team in Alabama for the fourth consecutive year" said Matt Curtis, Founder and CEO of Matt Curtis Real Estate. "Who you hire MATTers, and we are so thankful to our clients and the community of Huntsville for giving us the opportunity to provide them with 5 star real estate service."

To learn more about Matt Curtis Real Estate, please visit https://www. mattcurtisrealestate.com/

Shari Burnum Named Forbes Best-in-State Wealth Advisor for Second Consecutive Year

Shari Burnum, CEO of Investor’s Resource in Madison Alabama, has been named by Forbes as a Best-in-State Wealth Advisor for 2023. This is Burnum’s second consecutive year earning a place among the state’s most accomplished financial professionals.

While Forbes lists the Top Wealth Advisors in the nation, the publication recognized that local clients most often prefer to work with local wealth advisors. To make those advisors easier to locate and engage, Forbes created its Best-in-State listing. Advisors are selected based on a mix of quantitative and qualitative data, including diligence interviews, service models, compliance records, industry experience, and best practices. Of over 39,000 nominations, Forbes selected just 7,321 wealth advisors who lead the nation in “successfully managing nearly $11 trillion in assets.”

According to Forbes, recognized advisors are “laser focused on having a positive impact on their clients' lives; they want to add meaning and help them live better lives.”

Burnum’s proven record of providing high-quality, high-impact service to her roster of clients secured her place alongside a stellar list of recommended wealth advisors who have accumulated years of industry knowledge, understand the unique needs of their clients, and have expertise in meeting them.

“I take pride in providing my clients with the most relevant and up-to-date financial guidance. It’s rewarding to have my work acknowledged and recognized among the best,” explains Burnum. “To my clients, I am a trusted resource and I look forward to continuously serving them in the most effective capacity.”

American Association of Community Colleges Selects Drake State President Dr. Patricia Sims to AACC Board

The American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) selected Drake State President Dr. Patricia Sims to join its board. The AACC represents more than 1,000 2-year, associate degree-granting institutions and nearly 12 million students.

“It’s an honor to be elected to serve on such an impactful organization,” said Dr. Sims. “As the leading advocacy group for our nation’s community colleges, the AACC supports workforce development efforts nationwide to improve the lives of our students. I look forward to assisting the needs of our two-year colleges in this capacity and more.”

Dr. Sims has been president of Huntsville’s Historically Black Community College since 2018. Under her leadership, the college has seen increased state and federal funding, expanded career pathways and programs, and strengthened community partnerships.

Drake State is home to the tallest 3D-printed structure in the State of Alabama, thanks to its NASA-sponsored Frontiers Research Program ground-breaking research in space construction.

Dr. Sims has more than 28 years of progressive experience in education. President Biden recently appointed her to the National Infrastructure Advisory Council. She also serves on the Board of Directors for the Alabama State Port Authority, the Alabama Partnership for Children, and the Huntsville Hospital Foundation.