Initiatives magazine, April-May 2016

april-may 2016 initiatives

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Trade up to modern, efficient work space

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When building new space, companies can benefit from greater employee densities, resulting in higher quality work space in smaller footprints. This can help reduce your utility and operating costs, while also helping you attract and retain the new workforce.

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initiatives april-may 2016

A plAn for HeAltHy employees Your employees are your most valuable asset so keeping them healthy is very important to the health of your business.

And that’s where we come in.

WellnessWorks from Huntsville Hospital is the umbrella of a variety of unique services designed and delivered just for you and your employees.

In fact, everything we do from wellness promotion programs and screenings to occupational medicine services through OHG, to workers compensation services with Comp1One—was designed with you in mind.

Call our WellnessWorks team and discover how we can help you and your team.

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welcome new chamber members Joined in January 2016 200 West Side Square (SFRC, Inc.) A+ Glass Company, LLC ACE Creative Engagement, LLC ADT Security Services1 Akima, LLC Joined in February 2016 Brenda Armstrong, Edward Jones Financial Advisor 306 Barbecue at Greenbrier Best Management and Consulting, LLC Abaco Systems, Inc. Block Advisors Advanced Aerospace Tooling, Inc. Beau Brooks, State Farm Insurance Alabama Colon & Gastro, P.C. Central North Alabama Health Services, Inc. Alabama Outdoors, Inc. Coldwell Banker of the Valley Bell Media Coleman Worldwide Moving The BRIC Event Magazine Cabaret Catering, Baking, & Event Planning Farm Burger Huntsville Camisary, Inc. Goodyear Tire and Rubber L. Steven Conway, AdvoCare Independent Distributor HolieSmokes BBQ Dunkin’ Donuts IBERIABANK - Madison EnvisionU, LLC Inspire Salon of Madison Garrett Estes, Edward Jones Financial Advisor Intermission Mobile Massage Extreme Clean Auto Wash Metabahn, LLC Good Grit Nexus Energy Center Linda Green Paradigm Group Retirement Services Hiller Plumbing . Heating . Cooling . Electrical Peoples Independent Bank Homegrown LLC David Phillips, Edward Jones Humana MarketPOINT Pinot’s Palette Lott Knows Paper LLC Rachel Brown Homes Mosquito Squad of Huntsville She’s So Jade Mountain High Outfitters (dba Active Adventure V, LLC) Strickland Companies Nick’s Ristorante This Side Up Moving Company Papa Murphy’s Pizza Waypoint Strategies, LLC Pretty Particular What’s for Supper, Inc. Republic Services WIAT CBS 42 & LIN Digital SDC, Inc. (Systems Development Corporation) Swan House Town Granite, Inc. Valley Cleaning Service WaterWalker Small Business Center Younrich, LLC If you want to make a valuable investment in your business and the community, the Chamber is the place to start.

Contact Donna McCrary, Membership Retention Manager: 256-535-2027 or dmccrary@hsvchamber.org.

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initiatives april-may 2016

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY

DEVELOPMENT PARTNER

DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

CHAIRMAN’S COUNCIL

PRESIDENT’S CIRCLE

REGIONAL PARTNERS

LEADERSHIP FORUM

Huntsville Hospital

Port of Huntsville

ADTRAN, Inc. The Boeing Company City of Madison Emerson Network Power - Avocent Redstone Federal Credit Union Remington Outdoor Company

Madison County Commission

Tennessee Valley Authority

Regions Bank

EXECUTIVE COUNCIL BBVA Compass PNC Bank

•

•

SAIC

Crestwood Medical Center •

•

Lockheed Martin Corporation

SES - Science and Engineering Services, LLC

•

Technicolor

CHAMBER TRUSTEES AEgis Technologies Group • Aerojet Rocketdyne • Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama • Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. DynCorp International • Dynetics, Inc. • First Commercial Bank • Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation Jerry Damson, Inc. • Landers McLarty Corporation • Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne P.C. Northrop Grumman Corporation • PARSONS • Raytheon Company • S3 • Sealy Management Company, Inc. Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. • Torch Technologies • Wyle CAS Group

PROGRESS PARTNERS ASRC Federal Analytical Services • Baron Services, Inc. • BASF Corp. • BB&T • Beason & Nalley, Inc. • Bill Penney Toyota, Scion & Mitsubishi Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP • Coates Transportation Group • Connected Logistics • Consolidated Construction Company Corporate Office Properties Trust (COPT) • Davidson Technologies, Inc. • Huntsville-Madison County Builders Association • iBERIABANK IronMountain Solutions • J. Smith Lanier & Co. • Keel Point, LLC • L-3 Communications Corp. – Huntsville Operations • LEAN Frog Business Solutions, Inc. • Logicore • MTS, Inc. • The Orthopaedic Center • Progress Bank • Radiance Technologies • Rosie’s Restaurants, Inc., & Right Way Restaurants, Inc. (DBA Steak Out) • SELEX Galileo Inc. • Turner • Vencore, Inc. • Wells Fargo Bank • Woody Anderson Ford

PROGRESS INVESTORS 4SITE, Inc. • AECOM • Alpha Beta Technologies, Inc. • Amanda Howard Real Estate • Anglin Reichmann Snellgrove & Armstrong, PC Averbuch Realty Co., Inc. – Scott Averbuch • BancorpSouth • Brown Precision, Inc. • Bryant Bank • CB&S Bank • Century Automotive CFD Research Corporation • Coast Personnel Services • deciBel Research • Decisive Analytics Corporation • DESE Research, Inc. • Digium, Inc. Elliott Davis Decosimo • Fite Building Company, Inc. • Foreign Language Services • Fountain, Parker, Harbarger • HEMSI • Hiley Cars Huntsville Huntsville Botanical Garden • Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau • Huntsville Tractor & Equipment, Inc. Investor’s Resource/Raymond James • The Lioce Group, Inc. • Littlejohn Engineering Associates, Inc. • LSINC Corporation • Miltec • MSB Analytics, Inc. National Bank of Commerce • North Alabama Multiple Listing Service • PHOENIX • PROJECTXYZ, Inc. • Public Financial Management, Inc. • QTEC Renasant Bank • RJ Young • ServisFirst Bank • Sierra Lobo, Inc. • Sigmatech, Inc. • SPS, Inc. • Venturi, Inc. • West Huntsville Land Co., Inc. april-may 2016 initiatives

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Meet Our Huntsville Lending Team

Will Alexander Business Development

DeMarco McClain Vice President

Barry Bryan Senior Vice President

256-533-7834 | bibank.com | Member FDIC

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initiatives april-may 2016

Tim Singleton Madison County Area President

april-may 2016

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coverstory

24 20 12 18 11 25 27 21

aroundtheglobe

Huntsville: Gig City

biosciencebriefs blueribbonawards economicdevelopmenthighlights educationupdate government&publicaffairs memberengagement nasaupdates 4 5 8 10 22 26

Welcome New Chamber Members HREGI Investors Message from the President | Board listing Community Profile 2016 Executive Committee | 2016 Board of Directors Chamber Staff | Associated Organizations

editorial staff publisher Chip Cherry, CCE executive editor

Carrie Rice editorial designer

Kristi Sherrard contributing writers

Stephanie Hyatt Mike Ward advertising sales

The mission of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County is to prepare, develop and promote our community for economic growth.

www.HSVchamber.org

Eddie Graves email: egraves@acsal.com

(additional contact information on page 26)

Submissions for editorial content are not accepted. Information in this and other Chamber publications is at the discretion of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/ Madison County. Advertising inquiries go through AL.com (contact at right). april-may 2016 initiatives

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Chamber of Commerce

Executive Committee and Board of Directors 2016 Executive Committee Rose Allen, Chair, InterFuze Corporation Joe Newberry, Chair-Elect, Redstone Federal Credit Union Rey Almodóvar, Immediate Past Chair, INTUITIVE Ron Poteat, Chamber Foundation Chair, Regions Bank Kim Lewis, Secretary/Treasurer, PROJECTXYZ, Inc. Gary Bolton, Vice Chair, Economic Development & Industry Relations, ADTRAN, Inc.

Kevin Byrnes, Vice Chair, Government & Public Affairs, Raytheon Company

A Message from

Chip Cherry

Penny Billings, Vice Chair, Membership, BancorpSouth Greg Brown, Vice Chair, Workforce & Education, Brown Precision, Inc.

Jeff Gronberg, Vice Chair, Small Business & Events, deciBel Research, Inc.

Danny Windham, Vice Chair, Marketing & Communications,

Dear Chamber of Commerce Investors, Community Leaders and Friends: Delegations from regions throughout the U.S. have visited our community hoping to learn the secret to our success. They leave with an appreciation of how well we work together to address challenges and seize upon opportunities. We benefit from hosting these delegations because it reminds many of us just how special the area we call home really is!

Digium, Inc.

Tharon Honeycutt, Vice Chair, Member Engagement, MSB Analytics, Inc.

Mayor Tommy Battle, Chair-Appointed, City of Huntsville Mark Curran, Chair-Appointed, L-3 Communications - HSV Ops Bryan Dodson, Chair-Appointed, PHOENIX Beth Sippel, Chair-Appointed, First Commercial Bank Chairman Dale Strong, Chair-Appointed, Madison County Commission

The recent Google Fiber announcement is a great example of what can be accomplished when you bring bright, open minded people together to craft a strategy to ensure that we have the internet infrastructure needed to be competitive. Mayor Battle and the Huntsville City Council articulated a vision. The Huntsville Utilities Board, Jay Stowe, and his management team did an excellent job of identifying a solution that serves both their need of managing their infrastructure, and the community’s desire to have more robust internet capabilities. The result of the City and Huntsville Utilities’ efforts was the creation of a new type of partnership between a City utility and the private sector to provide world-class internet service to both business and residents. Well done!

Congratulations to LEAN Frog Business Solutions, nLogic, Geeks and Nerds (GaN), and PROJECTXYZ for being honored with the U.S. Chamber’s DREAM BIG Blue Ribbon Award. These four were among 100 companies nationwide to be recognized for 2016.

We are very proud of the management and employees of LEAN Frog, nLogic, GaN, and PROJECTXYZ. Also, additional congrats to LEAN Frog for recently being named a finalist for the U.S. Chamber’s DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year!

Cummings Research Park (CRP) has been a significant part of our region’s economic engine for more than 50 years. A master planning process is underway that, when complete, will provide a vision and plan that will ensure that CRP remains vibrant for the next half century. Watch your inbox for updates on the master plan. I believe you will be excited about the possibilities.

I look forward to seeing you at a Chamber event soon!

Chip Cherry, CCE President & CEO Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County

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initiatives april-may 2016

Mayor Troy Trulock, Chair-Appointed, City of Madison Tracy Marion, General Counsel, Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne, P.C. Chip Cherry, President & CEO, Chamber of Commerce

Elected Board Bill Bailey, Radiance Technologies, Inc. Kristina Barbee, Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. Bob Baron, Baron Services, Inc. Janet Brown, Belk Kevin Campbell, Northrop Grumman Corporation Frank Caprio, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Lynn Collyar, Deloitte LLP Michael Cox, PARSONS Deke Damson, Jerry Damson Honda Acura Dorothy Davidson, Davidson Technologies, Inc. John Eagan, BB&T Joe Fehrenbach, Intergraph Corporation Trip Ferguson, U.S. Space & Rocket Center David Fernandes, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Inc. Gene Goldman, Aerojet Rocketdyne Mike Gullion, SCI Technology – a Sanmina company John Gully, SAIC Jan Hess, Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. Steve Hill, AEgis Technologies Group Dr. Pam Hudson, Crestwood Medical Center Dr. Andrew Hugine, Alabama A&M University Hank Isenberg, IronMountain Solutions John Jordan, Wyle CAS Group David King, Dynetics, Inc. Brian Magerkurth, Par Pharmaceutical Janice Migliore, PALCO Telecom Service, Inc. Leigh Pegues, PNC Bank Jim Rogers, Lockheed Martin Corporation Jeff Samz, Huntsville Hospital Dr. Gurmej Sandhu, Sigmatech, Inc. Charlie Sealy, Sealy Management Company E.J. Sinclair, SES - Science and Engineering Services, LLC Mike Stanfield, Miltec Cynthia Streams, Domino’s Pizza (Valley Pizza, Inc.) Nilmini Thompson, Systems Products and Solutions, Inc. Tim Thornton, nLogic, Inc. Lynn Troy, Troy 7, Inc. Ken Tucker, The Boeing Company Frank Williams, Landers McLarty Dodge Chrysler Jeep

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communityprofile Madison City of County Huntsville

Population

City of Huntsville Madison Metro Area

Top Ten Employers Redstone Arsenal* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 35,866* Huntsville Hospital System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,129

2010 Census

334,811

180,105

42,938

417,593

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,000

2014 Census

350,229

188,226

46,450

441,086

Huntsville City Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,079

4.6%

4.5%

8.2%

5.6%

The Boeing Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,600

% Growth

Madison County Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,389

Households & Income # of Households

135,409

76,959

16,583

167,565

Avg. Household Income $79,837

$71,903 $112,609

$77,454

Per Capita Income

$31,010

$30,960

$32,307

$42,284

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov), 2014 American Community Survey

SAIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,229 City of Huntsville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,206 The University of Alabama in Huntsville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,675 ADTRAN . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,522 Source: Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County *includes on-site contractors

Aerospace & Defense Huntsville/Madison County is home to the U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center which combine to drive a thriving aerospace and defense technology industry. More than 41,000 people work at Redstone Arsenal and NASA managing some of the country’s most important and sophisticated technology programs including missiles, aviation and space exploration.

Research & Technology Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park has earned a reputation as a global leader in technology development. The second-largest science and

For more information, visit:

technology park in the U.S., Cummings Research Park is home to more

www.hsvchamber.org

development.

than 300 companies and 29,000 people involved in technology research and

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educationspotlight

A Teacher’s Roadmap W

hen I started teaching high school more than a decade ago, I was a second career teacher filled with excitement and enthusiasm. I couldn’t wait to get a copy of the teacher edition (THE TEACHER EDITION!) textbook, so I could immediately start planning how I would marshal students through every page of that glorious, big, blue guide to ninth grade literature. My fervent belief was that literature was beautiful and wonderful and that being exposed to it by someone who loved Shakespeare and mythology and poetry would lead my students to love reading and writing just as much as I did.

I had passion for my subject. I cared about my students. I believed in them and in their education. What I lacked, though, was a sufficient understanding of the skills they needed to master at the ninth grade level. I knew they needed to read and write, but I didn’t have a clear roadmap that would get them to the college level. Don’t get me wrong, I wasn’t a bad teacher. I wasn’t even a misguided teacher. I was a good teacher, an inspiring teacher, but a teacher who didn’t have a clear focus for moving her students forward on a clear path toward college readiness.

My first exposure the Common Core State Standards was like an old school Southern revival. I felt that someone had looked into my soul, seen the teacher I wanted to be, and given me the gospel message that would enable me to become that teacher. Ever a pragmatist, I did not see a conspiracy to take over my classroom by the federal government. Instead, I saw a clear trajectory that outlined bit by bit what my students would need to learn at each grade level.

Somehow, the ideology of Common Core – providing all teachers with a skills roadmap for students as they move through the grade levels – has become conflated with testing or, worse yet, with politics. Common Core, which in my classroom takes the form of the Alabama College and Career Ready Standards, provides my stu-

dents with an education directly comparable to students in other parts of the country. It means that children in military families can transfer into my classroom knowing that they will be learning the same standards on the same trajectory they were following before their family relocated. It means that I am not an isolated educator in an isolated classroom finding her way through a textbook. Instead, I am empowered: engaging in conversation with educators throughout the country and talking the same language about the same standards with the same goals in mind. Rather than limiting my teaching, the Common Core has given me the direction I was searching for, freeing me to become the teacher I knew I could be.

I still teach Shakespeare. I still teach poetry and mythology. But now, when I teach them, I teach them with a specific, goals-driven purpose. Rather than reading just because reading is important, my students and I read to craft arguments. We read for textual evidence (RL 1) in support of a claim about theme (RL 2). We connect informational texts to the literary texts we’re engaged with. This is not new to teaching. It is what good teaching has always looked like. But Common Core and standards-based education in general provides teachers with a clear, concise view of what that good teaching can and should be at each level. And I, for one, am glad that I heard the message.

• Stephanie Hyatt The lead English teacher for Huntsville City Schools, Stephanie Hyatt teaches AP English Language and Composition and Debate at Lee High School. In 2012, Hyatt was named Teacher of the Year for both Lee High School and Huntsville City Schools. Hyatt works with the National Math and Science Initiatives to provide teacher workshops throughout the country working with AP and honors teachers. april-may 2016 initiatives

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blueribbonawards

by Carrie Rice

Dreaming BIG

Local small businesses receive special honors

S

mall businesses are the backbone of our local and national economy. They represent 85 percent of our Chamber members, and we remain committed to recognizing and honoring the impact of small businesses in our community.

Big dreams deserve big rewards, and chambers know how important it is to recognize the very best in American small business.

Following a record numbers of entries, the U.S. Chamber of Commerce announced 100 DREAM BIG Blue Ribbon Award winners – and FOUR Huntsville companies made the list!

Congratulations to Chamber members and 2016 Huntsvillebased Blue Ribbon Award winners: LEAN Frog Business Solutions, nLogic, Geeks and Nerds (GaN), and PROJECTXYZ. In addition to the 100 Blue Ribbon Award winners, the U.S. Chamber selected the seven finalists for the DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year, and LEAN Frog was named one of the seven!

The 2016 DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year will take home a $10,000 cash prize.

“We are thrilled to be selected as the Southeastern finalist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s DREAM BIG Award,” said Sherri Headrick, LEAN Frog co-founder and the Director of Marketing and Personnel.

“The recognition reinforces that this is a time of exciting growth and opportunity for LEAN Frog and our mission to maximize the services public schools provide students, parents, and communities. We are thankful for the support of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, the hard work of our talented team, and the trust of our wonderful customers.”

LEAN Frog Business Solutions, led by Byron and Sherri Headrick, a husband-and-wife team, uses LEAN Six Sigma (LSS) principles to help public schools improve student services and optimize operations. Seeing a need for organizations to do more with less, especially those within the public education system, Byron and Sherri founded LEAN Frog with the goal of increased efficiency, effectiveness, and sustainability in school systems, ultimately transforming public education in the southeastern U.S. Huntsville-based LEAN Frog employs 18 full-time staff in two offices, has impacted more than 230,000 students, and has saved school systems more than $80 million to date.

The DREAM BIG award celebrates the success of small business and honors its contributions to America’s economic growth. The Small Business of the Year, the seven regional finalists, and 100 Blue Ribbon winners will be honored on June 14 during America’s Small Business Summit in Washington, D.C. Tim Thornton, CEO and President of nLogic said, “nLogic is

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honored to be recognized by the U.S. Chamber for the DREAM BIG Blue Ribbon Award. This award is attributed to the dedication, hard work and professionalism of all our employee-owners. This recognition would not be possible without the continued trust of and partnership with our customers. nLogic is proud to be among the four Huntsville companies recognized for this award which is attributed to the entrepreneurship fostered by our award-winning community.”

Dr. Jonn Kim, President and CEO of Geeks and Nerds (GaN) said, “We are honored to be included in the Best 100 Small Business in the U.S., along with PROJECTXYZ, LEAN Frog, and nLogic. It is such an impressive, almost unfathomable, achievement for Huntsville to produce four companies in the best 100 in the U.S. This award is a culmination of hard work by super employees at Geeks and Nerds, our awesome Chamber of Commerce, and the city of Huntsville. We live and work in a progressive city that promotes innovation and entrepreneurship, and we are so fortunate to have the support of our community to continue our success! Let’s keep going, Huntsville!”

Kim Lewis, CEO of PROJECTXYZ said, “PROJECTXYZ is thrilled to be named a DREAM BIG Blue Ribbon Award winner by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce alongside some of Huntsville’s best admired small businesses – LEAN Frog, GaN and nLogic. Our company is deeply committed to fostering good business practices, dynamic relationships, and offering our customers the highest level of service and accountability possible. This award further validates our efforts here in the community and beyond.

We have worked hard to grow this company with a family-like, collaborative atmosphere – with everyone pitching in, working hard, taking risks and achieving success.”

The 2016 DREAM BIG Blue Ribbon Award Winners were selected from a record number of applicants from across the country and were judged in four key categories: strategic planning, employee development, customer service, and community involvement.

Congratulations again to our four DREAM BIG Blue Ribbon Award winners – and good luck to Small Business of the Year finalist, LEAN Frog! ∏

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Huntsville: Gig City Keep Calm and

D

On! Becoming a Gig City...

o you remember the terrible screeching sound made by old dialup modems: “eeerrrr, eewwww, weeeee”? Ugh, those sounds made us cringe, and we’re all happy that those days are behind us!

Fast forward to present day: people living and working in Huntsville are on track to have lightening quick high-speed internet and TV services in just a few short years – thanks to the City of Huntsville and Huntsville Utilities. What? Huntsville is officially now a Gig City after being selected by Google Fiber to become one of only 10 Google Fiber Cities in America! Wooo Hooo!

The construction of a new fiber network will meet the area’s rapidly growing data and communication needs.

“We already know Huntsville is a place where people do cool things, smart things, things that change the world,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. “A rocket city deserves rocket speed, and that means a network that connects to the Internet at 1 gigabit per second. Your Internet will be 50 to 100 times faster than it is today.”

Huntsville Utilities projects the network to be available for Google Fiber to serve their first customers in the area by summer 2017, with an estimated network completion in roughly 3½ years.

“Google’s entrance into our market bolsters our high-tech legacy, energizes our entrepreneurs, tinkers and engineers, and supports the high quality of life Huntsville is known for delivering,” Mayor Battle said. “Fiber to the home is the Internet infrastructure for the 21st century. It is as vital to our quality of life as roads, water, sewer and electricity. It will become the benchmark for cities vying for talent.”

Fifteen months ago, the City embarked on a quest to entice broadband providers to Huntsville with a request for information continued on page 16

by Carrie Rice Opposite page: Jill Szuchmacher, director of Google Fiber Expansion, speaks at a news conference under a Saturn V rocket at the Davidson Center at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, announcing that Huntsville Utilities and Google will build a fiber network to bring high speed TV and Internet service to the city’s residents and businesses. (Bob Gathany/AL.com) Above: Huntsville aerial by Marty Sellers, SellersPhoto.com. Digital illustration of optic fiber cables by Yuriy Kirsanov, 123rf.com.

This colorful bunny is the mascot of Google Fiber.

april-may 2016 initiatives

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Huntsville: Gig City, from page 15

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initiatives april-may 2016

last year. Since that time, Southern Light began building fiber to the businesses in Cummings Research Park, and Comcast and AT&T announced plans to offer gigabit service to customers.

Harrison Diamond, Business Relations Officer for the City of Huntsville, served on the Mayor’s Gig City Initiative Team and helped lead the project for the City. Diamond said that the fiber system being designed by Huntsville Utilities is NOT just for Google Fiber. Huntsville Utilities will be able to share the cost of constructing the network with private companies through multiple lease arrangements. This saves taxpayer dollars. Leases are open to any company wishing to connect and provide service.

“Google Fiber is just the first,” Diamond said. “We think the Huntsville model is something other communities around the country will want to replicate.”

Diamond Huntsville has been laying fiber for nearly two decades and Huntsville Utilities has also been working toward building out a fiber network. Why fiber? Quite simply, fiber ensures a more resilient and robust electrical grid. Fiber will allow critical infrastructure the ability to communicate with one another. When there is an outage, instead of wasting time guessing where the problem is, crews can immediately respond and restore power, Diamond said.

These developments have helped bring more competition and choice to residents and businesses. And now, in order to prepare municipal Information Technology services, local electric grid technology and more for the future, Huntsville Utilities is going to invest in new fiber infrastructure.

“We installed our first fiber optic line about 16 years ago and quickly recognized the need to further expand our fiber network to meet rapidly growing data and communication needs,” said Jay Stowe, CEO of Huntsville Utilities. “As we build this vital network, we will have excess dark fiber capacity that will be available for lease by interested parties, such as Google Fiber.”

Huntsville Utilities will own the fiber network, but they will not provide internet services. A strong fiber system will give Huntsville Utilities a resilient grid which is much needed as it impacts everything from emergency responders to public safety communication to a smart traffic control system – ensuring steady traffic flow for shorter commutes. The fiber system will cost Huntsville about $60 million, and it was going to happen regardless of the ability to lease excess fiber to private broadband companies.

The Huntsville Utilities board of directors unanimously approved the lease agreement with Google Stowe Fiber in February.

In addition, the network is being built to improve the communication capabilities of the water, electric, and natural gas systems, which will improve the operational efficiency of each system and provide better service to customers.

Mayor Battle emphasized the City’s vision for broadband service is in alignment with Google Fiber’s. “Our citizens need and deserve competitive opportunities for connectivity with the highest possible speeds at the lowest possible cost. Google Fiber is committed to the same goal.”

Beyond the Mayor’s office, Huntsville’s Gig City Initiative involved a host of local CEOs, Chamber and Cyber Huntsville representatives, national consultants The Broadband Group and CTC, and owners of area start-up companies. Their input was invaluable

Left: Jill Szuchmacher, director of Google Fiber Expansion, with Mayor Tommy Battle, City of Huntsville, at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, announcing that Huntsville Utilities and Google will build a fiber network to bring high speed TV and Internet service to the city’s residents and businesses.

(Bob Gathany/AL.com) Below: The Huntsville Google Fiber story was such big news that stories ran in our local media market as well as national media outlets: Fortune, Forbes, USA Today, TechCrunch, PC Magazine, CNET, Motherboard, Slate magazine, and Wired.

(Bob Gathany/AL.com)

in creating this new municipal model for gigabit service.

“Abundant high-speed Internet can help communities grow stronger, laying a foundation for innovation and economic growth,” said Jill Szuchmacher, Director of Expansion for Google Fiber. “Huntsville’s leaders have taken a big step by bringing a new fiber network to their residents and businesses. We look forward to working with Huntsville Utilities and the City to bring Google Fiber to more people.”

Governments are great at building infrastructure – it is one of the most important pieces to create and sustain a successful community. Cities and their people are using more and more technology to function – making fiber no less an infrastructure need than roads, water, sewer and electricity.

Studies show there are nearly 6.4 billion connected devices in the world today, and that number is expected to increase by the billions by 2020. All those devices require connection to high speed broadband.

“Getting the Gig is not the achievement. Using the Gig is the true excitement,” Diamond said. “The digital world and the physical world are more interconnected than ever before, and this is just the beginning.

Since the Google Fiber network will be open to providers and companies, city leaders are confident that this dark fiber model will encourage more providers to enter our market. More providers mean more competition, and that is better for customers.

Diamond added that broadband will enable communities to break the digital divide and enable true digital self-sufficiency. It will help entrepreneurs create the next great company from home, where many successful businesses first start out.

Google Fiber project leaders agree that Huntsville is charting a new path – but that is nothing new for us. Huntsville has always been a leader in technological innovations, including rockets to take humans to the moon. The City developed this Gig City model to provide rocket-speed broadband to more people and businesses. Connectivity is new infrastructure, and you have to have it if you want to compete in today’s high-speed technology age.

• Carrie Rice april-may 2016 initiatives

17

economicdevelopmenthighlights snap:

Mike Ward, the Chamber’s Senior Vice President of Government & Public Affairs, celebrated a career milestone in March — an incredible 25 years with the Chamber! Mike has seen a lot of changes in that time. In 1991 when he started, I-565 was under construction — a project to connect us to the Interstate system; most of the larger, newer buildings in Cummings Research Park West were not in existence; and the “newest” building on Redstone Arsenal had been around since the 1960s. Oh, how times have changed!

Sierra Nevada Groundbreaking Sierra Nevada Corporation (SNC) expanded its footprint in Huntsville in February, breaking ground on a new aircraft modification and upgrade facility at the Madison County Executive Airport and announcing the potential of 200 new jobs to the Huntsville area.

“We are excited to continue our successful partnership with U.S. Army Aviation, our strategic partners, and the local Huntsville community at large,” said Tim Owings, corporate vice president for SNC’s Integrated Mission Systems (IMS) business area. “Huntsville is a hub for many of SNC’s key customers, including the U.S. Army. This aircraft modification and upgrade facility is representative of SNC’s continued commitment to the community and to Army aviation.”

The 130,000-square-foot facility will be built in two phases. Phase I will be a 30,000-square-foot hangar for aircraft modifications and upgrades in support of SNC programs currently in or near in production. Construction for Phase I was expected to begin in March, and SNC expects it to be fully operational in early 2017. Phase II is being planned in preparation for future fixed- and rotary- winged program support to include an additional 100,000-square-foot hangar facility. ∏

reads like a who’s who of major networks like Showtime, Disney/ABC, Bravo and ESPN,” said Dughi, “Or tech companies and studios like DreamWorks, Roku and SlingTV. Just to be mentioned in the same article is heady stuff.” ∏

Dynetics Honored with NASA Award NASA has selected Dynetics as the 2015 Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year among companies nationwide. The NASA Small Business Industry Awards (SBIA) recognizes outstanding businesses that support NASA in achieving its mission.

Dynetics CEO David King said, “Dynetics’ experience in managing complex federal programs has served us well on this contract. We appreciate the confidence NASA continues to show in our ability to provide high-quality IT services responsively with innovative ideas. And, as we are providing Marshall with these services, we are privileged to also build hardware for the Space Launch System, another area in which we are helping NASA achieve its mission.”

In 2010, NASA awarded Dynetics the Marshall Space Flight Center Information Technology Services (MITS) contract to proKing vide a range of services for NASA, including IT security services; IT planning, policy, architecture and integration; telecommunications services; applications and web services; computing and data center services; and audio/ visual information services.

Jonathan Whitcomb, vice president of Dynetics, said, “It is indeed an honor to be recognized nationally by NASA for our work in IT and related technical services.

Working with our local partner to help the MSFC reach its goals and achieve its mission is a privilege for Dynetics as we have continued to grow our business in these areas for both government and commercial customers.” ∏

Torch Technologies Recognized in Forbes Torch Technologies was named by Forbes as one of the Best Small Companies in America for 2016.

Torch was one of 25 companies selected, and the only Alabama-based company named to the list.

Torch CEO Bill Roark said, “Torch was founded with a focus on service to our customer, service to our community, and ultimately, a focus on the ethical treatment and service to our company’s employeeowners. I am incredibly proud of the dedication and loyalty of our employeeowners, as they are the reason we have received this honor as a Best Small Company in America.”

Torch Technologies is a 100 percent employee-owned technology services and solutions company, headquartered in Huntsville. For more information about Torch, visit www.torchtechnologies.com ∏

IBERIABANK’s Harper named YMCA’s Chairman of the Board WAAY To Go! WAAY 31 TV general manager Paul Dughi was named one of Broadcasting & Cable magazine’s 2016 Digital All-Stars because of the television station’s aggressive approach to embrace up-and-coming digital platforms. Dughi was the only local television station honoree receiving special recognition from the magazine.

“In addition to debuting an app on Roku and partnering with Watchup to deliver news on the Apple Watch, the ABC affiliate was the first TV station in the country to launch a channel on FireTV,” the magazine noted.

Dughi Dughi says he is “humbled” to be placed in the same company as some of the major players in the television industry. “The rest of the list

18

initiatives april-may 2016

IBERIABANK is pleased to announce Ginger Harper, Senior Vice President, Private Banking and Retail Banking Manager, has been named Chairman of the Board for the Heart of the Valley YMCA. This is the first time that a female has been named Board Chair for the YMCA. Ginger has 16 years of private and retail banking experience.

She is responsible for lending, investment strategies, trust and financial planning for the Huntsville market and leading the strategy for retail and community outreach locally.

Harper “We are thrilled to have Ginger take on the role of the YMCA’s Chairman of the Board,” said Jerry Courtney, CEO, Heart of the Valley YMCA. “The Y is a volunteer led organization and effective Board leadership is critical to the success and impact of the YMCA. We are fortunate to have Ginger as our next Board President, I believe her skills, passion and commitment to the YMCA and community will serve us well.” ∏

compiled by Carrie Rice

For Lease

Office Space in Huntsville, AL

UAH Business Incubator Plans for a $12 million business incubator at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) got a boost recently with a $500,000 grant from the U.S. Dept. of Commerce Economic Development Administration. UAH was among 25 grant awardees, totaling $10 million.

The EDA investment funds the university’s Virtual Proof of Concept Center (POCC). The POCC will serve as a strategic approach to utilize university resources at UAH to bring “shelved” technologies into the marketplace through identification and funding of entrepreneurs and by providing a range of services to convert ideas, research and prototypes into viable commercial products.

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby’s office was instrumental in assisting UAH during the application process, said Dr. Ray Vaughn, UAH vice president for research and economic development.

“We sincerely appreciate all the advice and assistance we have and continue to receive from Sen. Shelby and his unwavering support of UAH and the Huntsville community,” Dr. Vaughn said. “We are extremely pleased about the news that EDA awarded this i6 Challenge grant in support of our Innovation to Invention Center.” ∏

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“We have an incredibly vibrant arts scene and we want to ensure greater local, regional and national engagement with our artists and cultural organization,” said Arts Huntsville Executive Director Allison Dillon-Jauken. Arts Huntsville is the largest arts engagement, advocacy and service organization in North Alabama with a mission is to serve the greater Huntsville metropolitan region.

“A city without a strong cultural component would be a boring, unimaginative place. We are thankful for the artists and musicians, sculptors and creatives working and living in Huntsville, and are grateful for organizations like Arts Huntsville who celebrate and advocate for creativity in the community,” said Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle. “We congratulate Arts Huntsville on its ongoing efforts to realize its vision of Huntsville as the premier mid-sized city for the arts, entertainment and culture in the Southeast.” ∏

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For the first time, scientists have observed ripples in the fabric of spacetime called gravitational waves, arriving at the Earth from a cataclysmic event in the distant universe. This confirms a major prediction of Albert Einstein’s 1915 general theory of relativity and opens an unprecedented new window onto the cosmos.

Physicists have concluded that the detected gravitational waves were produced during the final fraction of a second of the merger of two black holes to produce a single, more massive spinning black hole. This collision had been predicted but never observed.

The gravitational waves were detected on Sept. 14, 2015 by both of the twin Laser Interferometer Gravitational-wave Observatory (LIGO) detectors, located in Livingston, La., and Hanford, WA. Research scientist Dr. Tyson Littenberg at the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR) helped the LIGO team develop sophisticated computer algorithms that comb through data and extract physical information from a detection.

“I knew within a few hours of the detection that we had something big. Really big,” he said. “The significance cannot be overstated. Gravitational waves are the last missing confirmation of Einstein’s general theory of relativity – our most fundamental understanding of how physics works in the macroscopic world.”

The LIGO discovery has broad connections in the fields of fundamental physics, astrophysics and astronomy. For more information, visit bit.ly/UAHgravity ∏

continued on page 20

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april-may 2016 initiatives

19

biosciencebriefs

ED Highlights, continued from page 19

Local Snelling office honored with unique industry awards

‘Hero Fund’ helps bring genomic medicine to low-income patients

Snelling of Huntsville, a leading employment agency, was honored with Inavero’s Best of Staffing® Client and Talent Awards for providing superior service to their clients and job seekers. Presented in partnership with CareerBuilder, Inavero’s Best of Staffing winners have proven to be industry leaders in service quality based completely on the ratings given to them by their clients and the permanent and temporary employees they’ve recruited for their clients.

“Our Huntsville team is a seasoned group of professionals focused on building strong, collaborative partnerships with both our clients and our candidates.

The most rewarding aspect of our business is matching best-fit candidates with excellent opportunities in great companies where both parties can achieve success. The Best of Staffing award recognizes our team’s outstanding commitment to our clients and candidates,” Snelling of Huntsville Owner, Paul Brashier said.

Snelling of Huntsville is an executive search and staffing services firm, locally owned by Paul & Kathryn Brashier. The company has served Tennessee Valley businesses for more than 50 years and is a founding member of the North Alabama Better Business Bureau with an A+ Rating.

Snelling provides customized employment solutions for its clients by recruiting and placing professionals in a variety of fields including accounting, engineering, sales and customer service, human resources, legal, and administrative professions. In addition, Snelling’s medical division provides staffing solutions for clinical and administrative medical professionals. ∏

The HudsonAlpha Foundation received a generous $1,050,000 anonymous donation to establish the Hero Fund. This fund will help patients who need, but cannot afford access to genomic medicine.

In November 2015, the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology opened the Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine, LLC. The Clinic uses whole genome sequencing to diagnose patients living with rare, undiagnosed or misdiagnosed diseases. The Hero Fund will provide financial assistance to qualified Clinic patients.

“We consider the patients at the Smith Family Clinic for Genomic Medicine heroes,” said Howard Jacob, PhD; executive vice president for genomic medicine at HudsonAlpha. “They fight every single day, battling devastating disease, ineffective or no treatments and no answers.”

“The donor’s intent is to help as many patients as possible, so we have been tasked with raising matching funds,” said Lynne Berry, executive director of the Foundation. “Your ‘gene-erosity’ makes it possible to help those in need.”

To learn more or to support the Hero Fund, visit support.hudsonalpha. org/hero ∏

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initiatives april-may 2016

Initiatives magazine.

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nasaupdates NASA Marshall People on the Move NASA Administrator Charles Bolden named Todd May director of the agency’s Marshall Space Flight Center here in Huntsville. May was appointed Marshall deputy director in August 2015 and has been serving as acting director since the Nov. 13, 2015 retirement of Patrick Scheuermann.

As director, May will lead one of NASA’s largest field installations, with almost 6,000 civil service and contractor employees, an annual budget of approximately $2.5 billion and a broad spectrum of human spaceflight, science and technology development missions.

May “Todd’s experience and leadership have been invaluable to the agency, especially as we have embarked on designing, building and testing the Space Launch System, a critical part of NASA’s journey to Mars,” said Bolden. “He brings his expert program management and leadership skills and sense of mission to this new role, and I look forward to having him at the helm of Marshall.”

Since its inception in 2011, May led the Space Launch System (SLS) program through a series of milestones, including a successful in-depth critical design review. SLS, now under development, is the most powerful rocket ever built, able to carry astronauts in NASA’s Orion spacecraft on deep space missions, including to an asteroid and ultimately on a journey to Mars.

One of May’s first administrative duties was to appoint Jody Singer as deputy director of NASA Marshall. Singer will assist May in managing Marshall. Singer has been with NASA for more than 30 years holding leadership positions in a variety of engiSinger neering, propulsion and spaceflight development programs.

“Jody has tremendous depth of management experience with SLS, space shuttle and other programs, keen leadership skills and a proven ability to build partnerships – all vital to the tremendous team effort required to reach our space

Marshall Space Flight Center

exploration goals and destinations,” May said. “I feel proud and fortunate to be able to call on her to serve as Marshall’s deputy director.”

For her dedication and commitment to excellence and achievement in support of the human space program, Singer was awarded the Silver Snoopy Award by the NASA astronaut corps in 2011.

With May’s appointment to Center Director from SLS, Jerry Cook has been named deputy director of NASA’s Space Launch System Program at Marshall. He has more than 30 years of experience in both an operational and developmental environment of strategic planning, program management and program execution.

Cook Appointed to the position in December 2015, Cook shares responsibility for all facets of the SLS Program, including programmatic and technical planning, procurement, development, testing, evaluation, production, and operation of the integrated SLS. ∏

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april-may 2016 initiatives

21

2016chamberexecutivecommittee

Rose Allen

president, InterFuze Corporation

Board Chair

president/chief executive officer, Redstone Federal Credit Union Chair-Elect

Rey Almodóvar

Ron Poteat

Kim Lewis

Immediate Past Chair

Chamber of Commerce Foundation Chair

Secretary/Treasurer

chief executive officer, INTUITIVE

north alabama area executive, Regions Bank

chief executive officer, PROJECTXYZ, Inc.

Gary Bolton

Kevin Byrnes

Penny Billings

Greg Brown

Jeff Gronberg

Vice Chair – Economic Development & Industry Relations

Vice Chair – Government & Public Affairs

Vice Chair – Membership

Vice Chair – Workforce & Education

Vice Chair – Small Business & Events

Danny Windham

Tharon Honeycutt

Tommy Battle

Mark Curran

Bryan Dodson

Vice Chair – Member Engagement

Chair-Appointed

vice president, army programs/HSV operations, L-3 Communications Corp.

vice president, global marketing, ADTRAN, Inc.

chief executive officer, Digium, Inc. Vice Chair – Marketing & Communications

vice president & center executive, Raytheon Company

president, MSB Analytics, Inc.

division president, BancorpSouth

mayor, City of Huntsville

CFO / Co-CEO, Brown Precision, Inc.

Chair-Appointed

Beth Sippel

Dale Strong

Troy Trulock

Tracy Marion

Chair-Appointed

Chair-Appointed

Chair-Appointed

General Counsel

president/chief executive officer, First Commercial Bank

22

Joe Newberry

initiatives april-may 2016

chairman, Madison County Commission

mayor, City of Madison

attorney, Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne, P.C.

president, deciBel Research, Inc.

chief executive officer, PHOENIX Chair-Appointed

Chip Cherry, CCE

president & chief executive officer, Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County

2016chamberboardofdirectors

Bill Bailey

Kristina Barbee

Radiance Technologies, Inc.

Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc.

Bob Baron

Janet Brown

Kevin Campbell

Frank Caprio

Baron Services, Inc.

Belk

Northrop Grumman Corporation

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP

Lynn Collyar

Michael Cox

Deke Damson

Dorothy Davidson

John Eagan

Joe Fehrenbach

Trip Ferguson

Deloitte LLP

PARSONS

Jerry Damson Honda Acura

Davidson Technologies, Inc.

BB&T

Intergraph Corporation

U.S. Space & Rocket Center

David Fernandes

Gene Goldman

Mike Gullion

John Gully

Jan Hess

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama

Aerojet Rocketdyne

SCI Technology, Inc. – a Sanmina company

SAIC

Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc.

Dr. Pam Hudson

Dr. Andrew Hugine, Jr.

Crestwood Medical Center

Alabama A&M University

Hank Isenberg IronMountain Solutions

John Jordan

David King

AEgis Technologies Group

Brian Magerkurth

Dynetics, Inc.

Wyle CAS Group

Steve Hill

Par Pharmaceutical

Janice Migliore PALCO Telecom Service, Inc.

Leigh Pegues

Jim Rogers

Jeff Samz

Dr. Gurmej Sandhu

Charlie Sealy

E.J. Sinclair

PNC Bank

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Huntsville Hospital

Sigmatech, Inc.

Sealy Management Company

Science & Engineering Services, LLC

Mike Stanfield

Cynthia Streams

Nilmini Thompson

Tim Thornton

Lynn Troy

Ken Tucker

Frank Williams

Miltec

Domino’s Pizza (Valley Pizza, Inc.)

Systems Products and Solutions, Inc.

nLogic, Inc.

Troy 7, Inc.

The Boeing Company

Landers McLarty Dodge Chrysler Jeep

april-may 2016 initiatives

23

aroundtheglobe

Willkommen, RadioBro!

Local electronics company opens office in Bremen, Germany

H

L-R: Alexander Vorwerk, Project Leader for International Establishments, BremenInvest; Andreas Gerber, Director International Affairs, BremenInvest; Nathanial Long, Managing Director of European Headquarters, RadioBro Corporation, Bremen; Mark Becnel, President, RadioBro Corporation, Huntsville; Kirk Atkinson, President, Adah International, Inc., Birmingham, AL.

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initiatives april-may 2016

untsville-based RadioBro Corporation hosted a grand opening of their new office in Bremen, Germany. RadioBro specializes in design, development and production of miniature electronics systems including data acquisition and monitoring solutions for the aviation and aerospace industries. The Bremen office will enhance their marketing and sales efforts to companies in Bremen such as OHB, BLG and Airbus Defense and Space.

The company was started in 2014 by brothers Mark, Eric, and Daniel Becnel of Huntsville. Their products include MiniSatCom, a lightweight spacecraft rad io, and Cyclone, a system that records data from flight tests. The Bremen office will be led by Nathanial Long.

“Nathanial was employee number two at RadioBro and helped us establish our Huntsville office,” said Mark Becnel, RadioBro president. “He has built good relationships in Bremen while in the UAH study abroad program at the Hochschule, and we are excited to have him lead this new facility.”

The RadioBro Bremen office will be in the World Trade Center in Bremen, a business incubator that provides space and support to international companies through Bremeninvest. Bremeninvest is the lead agency for economic devel- Mark Becnel and Nathanial Long in the RadioBro European Headquarters, World Trade Center opment in German Bremen, Germany with their Cyclone product.

State of Bremen.

“Bremen is hub for European aerospace and automotive industry very similar to Huntsville,” said Becnel, “Bremeninvest recognized our talent, introduced us to potential customers and helped us set up our presence. They made things very easy for us.”

Andreas Gerber, Director of International Affairs for Bremeninvest said, “We are very proud to welcome RadioBro to the Bremen industrial community. This is a success story for everyone. I look forward to seeing both Bremen and Huntsville industries benefit from RadioBro’s expansion here.”

“RadioBro is a dynamic, results-oriented company that is poised to have a big impact on the aerospace and aviation industries,” said Lucia Cape, Senior Vice President for Economic Development at the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. “We congratulate them on their growth and look forward to their continued success, both domestically and internationally.”

RadioBro is collocated in Madison, AL with STI Electronics, the manufacturer of their electronic components.

• Carrie Rice

government&publicaffairs

Our Mission

Leading the effort to protect and grow Redstone Arsenal

R

edstone Arsenal is the engine powering roughly half of the Huntsville/Madison County economy. Consequently, much of what the Chamber’s Government & Public Affairs division does is focused, in one way or another, on efforts to protect and grow the installation and the roles and missions of the agencies located there.

Today, Redstone has approximately 40,000 people working on the base, including the ~6,000 people that work at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center. More than 70 different entities are located on Redstone. Redstone is a federal campus for a wide variety of federal agencies and offices. The really good news is that there’s room to grow that federal asset to be even larger.

In February, FBI Director James Comey and U.S. Senator Richard Shelby cut the ribbon on the Terrorist Explosive Device Analytical Center (TEDAC) which will bring ~250 jobs to the region in the near term. But there are bigger plans in the works that could significantly increase that number. TEDAC extracts forensic evidence from explosive devices that are obtained around the world, both before and after they’ve been detonated, to “connect the dots” between bomb makers and devices. FBI personnel at TEDAC also develop material used to test TSA and other bomb detecting equipment, to ensure that the equipment is capable of detecting the most current threats facing our people and facilities.

The benefit of being located at Redstone is that TEDAC is able to leverage the organic knowledge of several other Redstone tenants in the intelligence and the improvised explosive device (IED) world – creating what many consider to be the explosives research capital of the world at Redstone. Those tenants include the Defense Intelligence Agency’s Missile and Space Intelligence Center and the Alcohol Tobacco and Firearms’ National Center for Explosives Training and Research (NCETR), as well as the engineers and scientists working at the Research and Development Centers on Redstone.

But TEDAC represents only one potential avenue for growth on Redstone. While future rounds of Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) have yet to be announced, there’s an increasing chance that Congress could authorize another BRAC round as early as 2019. Efforts L-R: TEDAC Director Greg Carl, LTG Larry Wyche, are currently underSen. Richard Shelby and FBI Director Comey. way to help position Redstone to gain additional activities by improving local infrastructure necessary to support such growth. The 2005 round of BRAC brought more than 4,700 direct jobs and an additional 10,000

support jobs to the region. Future opportunities are unknown at the moment, but trends are positive for additional growth.

While attracting new missions to Redstone will be important for its continued growth, it’s also critical that we support the agencies and operations currently located on Redstone. The Chamber recently sent a delegation of community leaders to Washington, DC to meet with our Congressional delegation to review the Chamber’s Federal Agenda. Our Agenda reflects the federally intensive nature of our economy and identifies key federal programs that are important to both our Nation’s defense and space leadership and to our local economy. With our delegation’s support, our region continues to prosper as a science and technology powerhouse.

The continued development of the Redstone federal campus will require the best efforts of all of us living in this region. The Chamber is pleased to have many partners across the Tennessee Valley who are equally committed to supporting Redstone.

•

Mike Ward

www.westmarkhomes.com

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april-may 2016 initiatives

25

Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County

STA FF Executive Staff

Chip Cherry, CCE, president & CEO Amy Locke, executive assistant Amy Tubb, resource desk coordinator Annette Atchley, resource desk assistant

Economic Development, Industry Relations & Workforce Lucia Cape, senior vice president Lyndsay Ferguson, workforce director Erin Koshut, Cummings Research Park director Ken Smith, research & information services director Will West, economic development specialist | project manager

Government & Public Affairs Mike Ward, senior vice president Tina Leopold, assistant

Marketing & Communications Carrie Rice, director Kristi Sherrard, graphic designer Hiroko Sedensky, web designer

Investor Relations Donna McCrary, membership retention manager Tiffany Jordan, membership representative Tina Blankenship, membership representative Kristy Drake, engagement specialist | program manager

Small Business & Events Pammie Jimmar, IOM, director Emma Williams, specialist

Finance & Administration Ruth Klinzak, interim director Jamie Gallien, IT manager Mary McNairy, accounting specialist | human resources Lori Warner, accounting specialist Joe Watson, facilities supervisor

Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County 225 Church Street NW, Huntsville, AL 35801 phone 256-535-2000 | fax 256-535-2015

www.HSVchamber.org

Associated Organizations

communityfoundationhsv.org

www.uah.edu/sbdc theschoolsfoundation.org

26

initiatives april-may 2016

memberengagement

ChamberON

Supporting the Chamber supports your community

C

hamber membership is an investment in the community which allows you to associate your business with one of the oldest and most recognized brands in the world, the Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County has been working for this community since 1894 – yes, that’s right, the late 1800s! Just one look through history books will show you how we’ve helped turn a great town into a thriving, progressive and modern community – and we did that with the help of our members.

Over the years, our Chamber members have been instrumental in helping make our region a tremendous success. You have done this through your membership dues and by promoting your company through our annual Chamber sponsorship campaign – known as ChamberON. Why participate in our annual sponsorship campaign? The ChamberON goal is to ensure that members have access to outstanding programs, services and events resulting in an enhanced member experience. Increased member participation in Chamber activities help the Chamber prepare, develop and promote our community for economic growth.

Supporting the Chamber benefits the entire community: ChamberON plays a key role for our community – by supporting us through sponsorship your company has a direct impact into the success of our community.

Growing support through sponsorships: We have a highly energized group of ChamberON Volunteers who give a tremendous amount of their time to connect with Chamber members who are looking to become more actively engaged in the Chamber and our mission through sponsorship opportunities. They are your personal conduit to an enhanced Chamber ROI. The ChamberON campaign has something of value for every type of business/organization – from investing in annual events or our high-impact marketing assets. There are wonderful opportunities at every level – from $200 on up – for your company to receive value from your Chamber investment. Let the Chamber staff help you grow and promote your business! The current ChamberON campaign runs through May 13, 2016. For more information about ChamberON and to view sponsorship opportunities, Drake visit hsvchamber.com and click on ChamberON (sidebar tab), or contact Kristy Drake, Engagement Specialist/Program Manager, at 256-535-2036.

•

Carrie Rice

Penny Billings

Lisa Abbott

Katie Bosarge

Vice Chair Membership

Senior Vice President Cadence Bank 256-319-2501 (work) lisa.abbott@ cadencebank.com

Public Relations Davidson Technologies, Inc. 256-489-0256 (work) katiebosarge@ davidson-tech.com

Camille Gardner

Market President, BancorpSouth - Huntsville

Clint Kirkland

Joe Knoch

Director, Corp. Business & Proposal Development AEgis Technologies Group 256-922-0802 (work) cgardner@aegistg.com

Senior VP/Business Banking Progress Bank 256-319-3600 (work) ckirkland@ myprogressbank.com

Owner/President Air Essentials, Inc. 256-217-2273 (work) joe@airessentials.com

Lee Lester

Leslie McGill

Michelle Omenski

Retired Banking Executive 256-539-6448 (work) 66pony@comcast.net

Financial Center Sales Mgr. First Commercial Bank 256-551-3399 (work) lesliemcgill@fcb-hsv.com

Realtor Keller Williams Realty 256-468-1527 (work) michelleomenski@gmail.com

Chris Russell

Tiffany Taylor, CPA, CGMA

David Whitaker

Executive Analyst - Finance Intergraph Corporation 256-730-2000 (work) tiffany.taylor@intergraph.com

Div. Director (Logistics & Info Tech) CALIBRE Systems, Inc. 256-217-1647 (work) david.whitaker@ calibresys.com

Senior Vice President Cadence Bank 256-319-2502 (work) chris.russell@ cadencebank.com

april-may 2016 initiatives

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PRSRT STD US Postage PAID Birmingham, AL Permit #40

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initiatives april-may 2016