Initiatives magazine, June -July 2016

june-july 2016 initiatives

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Meet Our Huntsville Lending Team

DeMarco McClain Vice President

Barry Bryan Senior Vice President

Tim Singleton Madison County Area President

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

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initiatives june-july 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.

(888) 567-3144

june-july 2016 initiatives

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welcome new chamber members Joined in March 2016 9Round Huntsville Alabama Interconnect Alaska Aerospace Corporation Artisan Twickenham Square Apartments Carousel Skate Center Cove Family Dentistry Day Capital, Inc. Dell McDonald Construction, Inc. DQ Grill & Chill Store #44113 Dream Vacations - Deloris Strawbridge Escape Pod Game (Huntsville Entertainment Adventures, LLC) Farmers Insurance - Jim Butcher Agency Georgia Pacific JCPenney JL Troupe Company, Inc. Jordan Music School of Jazz KEMP & SONS General Services, Inc. Leidos Luciano Mattress King -7095-A University Drive Meyer & Lee Fine Jewelry Michael F. Carter, MD, PC Miracle Ear (McKinney Hearing Solutions) Myles Associates, LLC Neck & Back Pain Relief Center Pickens Innovations PROCUREMENT INNOVATIONS, LLC REHAU Unlimited Polymer Solutions Rick’s BBQ, Inc. Rocket Hatch South Boutique Southern Scape, LLC Sundown Services Therapeutic Massage by Sindy Valley Real Estate Photography Walmart Pickup with Fuel #5746 Windmill Beverages - Highway 72 West Windmill Beverages - Moores Mill Road Windmill Beverages- Meridianville Windmill Beverages- South Memorial Parkway Yellowhammer Logistics Services / Landstar Huntsville

Joined in April 2016 305 8th Street AcqCentric Ball Energy Solutions, LLC Bastion Technologies, Inc. Changing Spaces Moving, Inc. DanTera Salonspa Decatur Printing Solutions, LLC EJ Consulting, Inc. Expo Displays First Choice Real Estate Francois Innovation Garrison & Garrison, Inc. Google Government Energy Solutions, Inc. The Home Depot - S. Memorial Parkway Huntsville Cardiovascular Clinic, PC JM Counseling Services, LLC LJT & Associates, Inc. McVille Manor Mister Sparky - Huntsville Noble Chefs O’Donnell Marketing Enterprises Papa Murphy’s Pizza - Hazel Green Perfect Praise, Inc. Phuket Thai Restaurant & Catering Restore Counseling Services, LLC Rocket City Mom, LLC Royal Rose Diner State Farm Insurance - Diana M. Fisher Stone Event Center @ Campus No. 805 Sunset Landing Golf Course Teaching Factory, Inc. Tranont

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 june-july 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

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SAIC

Crestwood Medical Center •

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Lockheed Martin Corporation

SES - Science and Engineering Services, LLC

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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 • 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 Corporation • BB&T • Bill Penney Toyota, Scion & Mitsubishi Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP • Coates Transportation Group • Colliers International • Connected Logistics • Consolidated Construction Co. Corporate Office Properties Trust • Davidson Technologies, Inc. • Google • Huntsville-Madison County Builders Association • iBERIABANK IronMountain Solutions • J. Smith Lanier & Co. • Keel Point, LLC • L-3 - Corporate Huntsville Operations • LEAN Frog Business Solutions, Inc. Logicore • MTS, Inc. • The Orthopaedic Center • Progress Bank • Radiance Technologies • Rosie’s Restaurants & Right Way Restaurants (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 Corp.

Coast Personnel Services • deciBel Research • Decisive Analytics Corporation • DESE Research, Inc. • Digium, Inc. • Fite Building Company, Inc. Foreign Language Services • Fountain, Parker, Harbarger • Garver • General Atomics • HEMSI • Hiley Cars Huntsville • Huntsville Botanical Garden Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau • Huntsville Tractor & Equipment, Inc. • InterFuze Corporation • Investor’s Resource/Raymond James The Lioce Group, Inc. • Littlejohn Engineering Associates, Inc. • LSINC Corporation • MSB Analytics, Inc. • National Bank of Commerce North Alabama Multiple Listing Service • PALCO Telecom Service • PHOENIX • PROJECTXYZ, Inc. • Public Financial Management, Inc. • QTEC • Renasant Bank RJ Young • ServisFirst Bank • Sierra Lobo, Inc. • Sigmatech, Inc. • Systems Products and Solutions, Inc. • Venturi, Inc. • West Huntsville Land Co., Inc. june-july 2016 initiatives

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june 24-30, 2016 Proclamation Signing Friday, June 24 @ 10 a.m.

Army Materiel Command Parade Field on Redstone Arsenal (Rain location: Bob Jones Auditorium)

AFC Concert in the Park Monday, June 27 @ 6:30 p.m. • Fireworks at dark (weather permitting) Big Spring Park in downtown Huntsville (Rain location: VBC South Hall)

A Musical Tribute to America’s Armed Forces

‘Celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Redstone Arsenal’ Tuesday, June 28 @ 7 p.m. • Huntsville High School Panther Theater This free concert will be a trip through the history of Redstone Arsenal from 1941 to present day, featuring musical selections from each era along with photos depicting major events from Redstone and World history. Members of the local community will also be featured performers at the concert.

Tickets will be available mid-June at: Chamber of Commerce, 225 Church St NW, Huntsville, AL 35801 OR Morale Welfare and Recreation (MWR) office, Bldg. 1500, Weeden Mountain Road, Redstone Arsenal

AUSA Iron Mike Golf Tournament Thursday, June 30 @ 7:30 a.m. • The Links at Redstone

AFC 75th Anniversary of Redstone Arsenal Dinner Thursday, June 30 @ 6:30 p.m. • VBC North Hall Schedule is subject to change. For updates – as well as information on area attractions with military discounts – please visit bit.ly/AFC-2016 or contact Tina Leopold @ 256-535-2031 or tleopold@hsvchamber.org.

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coverstory

24 22 18 13 20

bestplacestoworkÂŽ

The New Cummings Research Park

comingsoon economicdevelopmenthighlights educationnews government& publicaffairs

11 12

membership smallbiz

4 5 8 10 26

Welcome New Chamber Members HREGI Investors Message from the President | Board listing Community Profile Chamber Staff | Associated Organizations

editorial staff publisher Chip Cherry, CCE executive editor

Carrie Rice editorial designer

Kristi Sherrard contributing writers

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

(additional contact information on page 26)

Lyndsay Ferguson Erin Koshut Hannah Powell Mike Ward advertising sales

Eddie Graves email: egraves@acsal.com

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). june-july 2016 initiatives

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Chamber of Commerce

Executive Committee and Board of Directors 2016 Executive Committee

A Message from

Chip Cherry

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

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

Dear Chamber of Commerce Investors, Community Leaders and Friends: I was asked recently why Redstone is important to our community and region. The easy answer would be to talk about the Arsenal as an economic engine, a major employer, and a vital national asset. The reality is that the impact of Redstone is so much more than that.

Take a step back in time – when our claim to fame was being known as the Watercress Capital of the World. Huntsville was one of the smaller cities in the state, and our economy was agriculturally based. Both Redstone and Huntsville Arsenals had been declared surplus property after the end of World War II. The Department of Defense was in the process of shutting down the remaining operations on the two Arsenals and seeking buyers for the property.

That all changed when Von Braun and his team relocated to Huntsville from Fort Bliss, Texas. The infrastructure to support the activities associated with the development of rocketry were not present in our community. An ecosystem supporting what we now call aerospace had to be created. The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), Cummings Research Park (CRP), and many things we now consider to be quality of life items such as the Symphony and Museum of Art either were created or significantly enhanced during this period.

I would argue that one of the most enduring attributes developed during this time of our development is what I consider to be the “can do attitude” or the “art of the possible”.

I believe our community is unique in the way we approach challenges and opportunities.

Our approach is to list all the possible approaches and work to select the one (or in most cases, a blend of aspects of many of the options) that will be the most effective in addressing the challenge or seizing upon the opportunity. Once a course of action is identified, we (public and private sectors) mobilize our collective resources and get busy.

Contrast our approach with that of many communities where the discussion centers around what won’t work and why something cannot be done. Ours is a much more inclusive and empowering approach.

The Rocket Team was presented with a challenge – send man to the Moon and return them safely to Earth. They were in the business of evaluating ideas and options, finding ways to do what earlier had been viewed as impossible, and creating resources where none had existed before. The art of the possible became the default approach to addressing challenges and exploiting opportunities. That approach has benefited our community and the region more than anyone could have imagined when it became part of our ethos many years ago!

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

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initiatives june-july 2016

Brown Precision, Inc.

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

Danny Windham, Vice Chair, Marketing & Communications, 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

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 Lee Holland, Turner Construction 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 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

Population

Madison City of County Huntsville

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

2015 Census

353,089

190,582

46,962

444,752

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

5.5%

5.8%

9.4%

6.5%

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

% Growth

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

Households & Income # of Households

135,409

16,583

167,565

Avg. Household Income $79,837

$71,903 $112,609

$77,454

Per Capita Income

$31,010

$30,960

$32,307

76,959

$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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initiatives june-july 2016

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membership

Stay Strong

and ChamberON M

aking sure that our Chamber members have access to outstanding development and professional programs, business services and activities is our top priority. With your support, we are able to provide many of these resources through membership dues and ChamberON – our annual sponsorship campaign.

The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County has been working for this community since 1894! By supporting the Chamber through a ChamberON sponsorship, your company has a direct impact on the success of our entire community, and you can align your marketing dollars with the marketing power of the Chamber.

Member participation in Chamber activities such as ChamberON helps us to prepare, develop and promote our community for economic growth. Chamber members who invest in this vision empower the Chamber to play a role in propelling our region forward in economic growth and quality of life. For example, in the past three years our collective efforts have resulted in the creation of 15,200 operations-related jobs, just under $1 billion a year in additional payroll, and an increase in our regional GDP of $4.2 billion (yes, with a “B”).

The ChamberON campaign has value for every type of business and at all price levels – so let the Chamber staff help you grow and promote YOUR business! The current ChamberON campaign runs through July 31, 2016. For more information about affordable sponsorship opportunities, please contact Kristy Drake at 256-535-2036, or kdrake@hsvchamber.org.

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Carrie Rice june-july 2016 initiatives

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smallbiz

Happy Place Inc. names n Logic as one of their Best Workplaces

H

untsville based nLogic has been named to Inc.’s inaugural 50 Best Workplaces, the first such measurement of American companies with up to 500 employees that deploy state-of-the-art techniques to keep their staff happy and productive.

Inc.’s list is a magnifying glass on how innovative companies can truly raise the bar in hiring and keeping the best talent.

“We hear it over and over again from the fast-growing businesses we cover: The biggest challenge that any business owner faces is finding and keeping the best people. That’s why building a workplace culture that allows your staff to grow with your company is absolutely crucial,” explains Inc.’s President and Editor-In-Chief Eric Schurenberg. “Recipients of the Inc. Best Workplaces Awards have done so in spades. They should be celebrated and emulated.”

Being a premier government services provider to aerospace and defense customers, nLogic recognizes that employees are truly their greatest asset. As an employee-owned company, they naturally place employees at the center of their business model.

Tim Thornton, nLogic President/CEO, said emThornton ployee ownership is a win-win-win situation for staff, company and customers.

“The more committed employees are to nLogic, the harder they work to satisfy customers, which makes the company more successful, and increases profits, which are shared with employee-owners,” Thornton explained. “Our company growth has allowed us to continue to protect our people and sustain our premier benefits.”

Thornton added that nLogic is founded on the principal of “giving back” by supporting community organizations, charitable contributions, and professional societies. Community involvement and philanthropic endeavors are part of their DNA. The Inc. Best Workplace program recognizes 50 successful small- and mid-sized businesses that value company culture, offer standout worker benefits, and prioritize employee wellbeing.

Inc. said that nLogic goes to great lengths to attract, develop and maintain its workforce, and Inc. is proud to recognize nLogic.

Core components of the Inc. scoring include company practices around management, employee recognition, performance communication, benefits, and other elements of the employee experience. ∏

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educationnews

Toyota Donates 45 Engines to Area Tech Schools in North Alabama H igh school technical schools in six counties will get some extra “educational horsepower” thanks to Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, who donated 45 engines manufactured at its Huntsville plant. The donated V6 engines were built on Toyota Alabama’s newest production line here in Huntsville.

“We believe it’s our responsibility to partner with educators to support career readiness programs that help develop our future workforce,” said Jim Bolte, Toyota Alabama president. “Toyota is very interested and committed to developing career opportunities for students in the region.”

Students enrolled in automotive programs in Madison, Limestone, Morgan, Marshall, DeKalb and Cullman Counties will now have engines with the latest technology to provide hands-on learning. The donated engines, labeled as “trial” engines, are built to teach Toyota team members the proper processes applied in manufacturing engines that will go into customer vehicles. Students will be able to learn on those same engines, increasing their skills and hopefully their interest in the automotive manufacturing industry.

On hand to applaud the announcement were representatives from the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber, 50 members of the Regional Workforce Council, and Ed Castile, Deputy Secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce.

“Toyota’s gift of these engines, again, demonstrates why they are

among the best car companies in the world and one of Alabama’s finest corporate partners. Congratulations to Mr. Jim Bolte and the entire Toyota Alabama team for their hard work and contributions to the Alabama and Tennessee Valley economy. They recognize the importance of education and they also know what it takes to build a sustainable workforce,” said Ed Castile, Deputy Secretary at Alabama Department of Commerce. “The State of Alabama appreciates Toyota’s leadership, partnership and friendship as very valued industry partners.” ∏

Lights, Camera … Education! Huntsville/ Madison County receives national recognition D r. Wernher von Braun once said, “All one can really leave one’s children is what’s inside their heads. Education, in other words, and not earthly possessions, is the ultimate legacy, the only thing that cannot be taken away.” That legacy remains as a community focus today and is receiving national recognition.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce Foundation (USCCF) selected Huntsville/Madison County as a spotlight community to showcase the positive impact of community engagement in supporting high education standards for all students. Our community will be the inaugural city highlighted through this campaign, which will launch this summer. Huntsville/Madison County is in good company – other cities under consideration for this campaign include Chicago, Los Angeles and Washington, D.C. We will keep you posted on when and where you can view the final product.

Thank you to the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Madison Cross Roads Elementary and the Academy for Academics & Arts for hosting the USCCF team during their recent visit. A very special thank you to our community members that participated in the project and shared their personal stories about the impact of education in their work and their lives:

• Sabrina Chen, student, Bob Jones High School ’16 • Jalen Roberts, alumnae, Lee High School ’13 • Janna, Emma and Eli Bannister, (parent, 5th and 2nd grade students, respectively), Madison Cross Roads Elementary • Stephanie Hyatt, Lee High School • Chanel Leslie, Academy for Academics & Arts • Russ O’Rear, Madison Cross Roads Elementary • Jeremy Raper, Bob Jones High School • Dr. Deborah Barnhart, U.S. Space & Rocket Center • Jim Bolte, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Inc. • Elizabeth Fleming, The Schools Foundation • Mary Scott Hunter, Alabama State Board of Education District 8 • David King, Dynetics • Dr. Neil Lamb, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology • Col. William Marks, Redstone Arsenal • Tina Watts, The Boeing Company • Louis Whitlow, RUAG • Lyndsay Ferguson june-july 2016 initiatives

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The New CRP

DRIVEN BY SCIENCE, POWERED BY PEOPLE. BEYOND A RESEARCH PARK.

A

s a society, we like to make what’s old new again. Whether it be antique furniture, retro clothing or repurposed building materials, the ability to showcase or feature some part of the past in our every day lives or experiences is not uncommon.

by Erin Koshut

What’s Old is New again Next year, Cummings Research Park turns 55 years old. You can say we’ve aged well. In fact, we are thriving. And when you’re thriving, that’s the best time to consider change, adjustments, growth. That’s exactly what we’re doing with the unveiling of a recommended new master plan for CRP. CRP has had master plans before; however, those plans were always singularly focused – one for the East, one for the West, one for Bridge Street. This is the first comprehensive master plan for the Park.

Large images on pages 14-17: Illustrations by Perkins+Will of the recommended CRP Master Plan – showing views of how the Park might look in the future.

Below: An example of a neighborhood park included in the plan.

Building the Future Bit by Bit As the Park has continued to grow with the expansion of existing companies and attraction of new companies, there began a shift in what companies – and more importantly, their employees – are looking for when considering a location. Sense of place and community has become increasingly important.

In the new recommended master plan, there are quite a few changes – from significant in the East to minor in the West. It’s hard to address all of those changes in any one article, so here are a few highlights. We encourage you to go online to cummingsresearchpark.com and view the plan in its entirety.

Green space is something we embrace and protect in the Park, but companies and employees wanted more than just green space.

continued on page 16 june-july 2016 initiatives

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“I appreciate the dedication of the Perkins+Will team to design a plan and work with our Park stakeholders to ensure that we protect the integrity of CRP while also positioning CRP for future growth. Hopefully CRP is positioned for even greater success in the next 50 years.”

– Charlie Grainger, Chairman, CRP Board of Directors

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The New CRP, from page 15

CRP MASTER PLAN: SUMMER STAKEHOLDER MEETINGS

They wanted to see people, to see activity ... to have something to do with and in that green space.

The new recommended plan includes a connective system of greenways, trails, pedestrian and bicycle paths, as well as activating and increasing our lakes, and adding in smaller pocket parks throughout CRP. The ability to have sidewalks/benches/pavilions around our lakes and increased mobility options throughout the Park opens up more programming options like yoga around the lakes or in a park; pop-up food or shops; festivals and more.

Over the years, we’ve had a number of companies that wanted to be in the Park – and their company profile would have been a good fit in our research and technology park – but restrictions on the number of companies in any building prevented them from locating and growing in the park.

The new recommended plan adds not only greater flexibility in the numbers of tenants allowed in any building in the East section but also adds greater density. Both of these features mean companies of all sizes have the ability to locate and grow entirely within the Park … to be surrounded by and collaborate with other successful companies doing similar work.

Greater density not only means more buildings and more companies, but creating places to walk to/bike to and have meaningful experiences. Can you imagine working on Wynn Drive and walking a beautiful greenway to a mixed-use area to pick up a locally made cup of coffee and your dry cleaning? Who would you see, who could you meet, and how convenient would this be? Or perhaps you work on Sparkman Drive closer to University, and you know you need both lunch and a haircut. You could walk or bike to grab a quick lunch and walk across a quad to the barbershop. Or you work on Jan Davis Drive, and on a beautiful day you want to meet a potential customer for lunch or beverages at a restaurant on the lake?

There are distinct advantages to being in the West part of the Park. This is where companies who have grown and reached a standard in which they want and can afford a signature building in the Park. We want to preserve and protect those decisions and the value of their investment.

In West, where all of our current lakes are located, amenities will be added so employees can get to the lakes and enjoy them. We’re also recommending extending retail/hospitality from Bridge Street to Lake 4, as well as adding in sidewalk/pathways so CRP employees can walk easily to Bridge Street.

Another big change is adding pedestrian/bicycle pathways in the median around Explorer Drive. You can imagine walking or riding your bike in the middle of the road with beautiful trees and legacy (perhaps even rotating) examples of the important work or products that so many of our companies produce on display.

These are simply just a few of the changes we would see from the physical infrastructure in the Park. The changes mentioned in

The stakeholder meetings will begin in mid-June and each of the groups will be notified weeks in advance for favorable scheduling purposes.

CRP Property Owners

CRP CEOs

CRP Employees

Commercial Property Brokers

UAH Holmes Ave. Residents

Sherwood Park Association Midtowne on the Park residents/developers Rocket View Neighborhood Association Redstone/NASA executives Additional stakeholders

addition to others would require new or revised zoning as well.

With a new physical vision for the Park, we also need to refresh how we talk about ourselves and how we showcase the Park. We have rolled out a new logo for the Park – elegance in its simplicity, yet powerfully so. We believe in the power of a circle and hope you will to. The circle, like CRP, is an infinite connecting point, a gathering place for business and life with a spotlight as the crown jewel of North Alabama. After all, CRP is beyond a research park. We are place that is driven by science, powered by people.

Innovation is in our DNA But a plan is only as good as its implementation. Over the summer we will hold more than a dozen stakeholder group meetings to elicit feedback, and have discussions about what this plan means for those inside the Park and those adjacent to the Park. As part of our discussions, we will engage all of our partners in determining funding options for plan implementation.

We’ll be drafting new or revised zoning guidelines during this time … and updating a number of our CRP materials. During this process, we also had a market-positioning plan completed, and we’ll be building our CRP economic development strategy for 2017 based on that.

As you can see, CRP has a busy year ahead. We invite you to review the recommended plan at cummingsresearchpark.com and provide feedback – either in one of the future stakeholder group meetings or via email at crpmasterplan@gmail.com. We encourage you to embrace the new CRP logo, messaging and graphics – you are our brand ambassadors!

We all must work together to make Cummings Research Park Huntsville’s premier location to launch and build the most successful high tech businesses.

• Erin Koshut

“A plan is only as good as its implementation. It’s going to take money and action, and that will involve the support and participation of all of the partners and stakeholders at the table. The City of Huntsville looks forward to supporting the Chamber in creating a new chapter of CRP history – the next 50 years.”

– Mayor Tommy Battle, City of Huntsville june-july 2016 initiatives

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economicdevelopmenthighlights National Academy of Sciences elects UAH’s Dr. Gary Zank

Toyota expands national family learning program to Huntsville

The National Academy of Sciences (NAS) has elected as a member Dr. Gary P. Zank, director of the Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research (CSPAR) at The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH) and the chair of UAH’s Department of Space Science.

Also a UAH eminent scholar and distinguished professor, Zank becomes the only current member of the University of Alabama System to be a member of NAS. “Dr. Gary Zank is an academic leader at UAH,” says Dr. Christine Curtis, UAH provost. “Not only is he a highly accomplished researcher and an exceptional research leader in the field of space science, but he is also an outstanding educator who led the development and establishment of the Space Science Department and of highly competitive master’s and Ph.D. programs in Space Science. His work in space science provides tremendous opportunity for current and future students at UAH to work with a leading scientist and be at the forefront of scientific discoveries in space science.”

Membership in the academy is the highest honor a scientist can receive, says Dr. Ray Vaughn, UAH vice president for reZank search and economic development.

“UAH is very fortunate to have a faculty member such as Dr. Zank, with his record of accomplishment, his contribution to science and his leadership of one of the very few Space Science programs in the country, as well as his leadership of the highly successful Center for Space Plasma and Aeronomic Research,” Dr. Vaughn says. “I have been privileged to work with someone of his caliber and to consider him a valued partner in our research enterprise. This honor speaks highly of Dr. Zank, as well as UAH.” Zank said receiving the news was a surreal experience. “It has not yet sunk in,” he said. “Many people have been nominated and almost as many are not elected.”

The academy elected 84 new members and 21 foreign associates from 14 countries in recognition of their distinguished and continuing achievements in original research. Those elected bring the total number of active members to 2,291 and the total number of foreign associates to 465.

The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit institution that was established under a congressional charter signed by President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. It recognizes achievement in science by election to membership, and – with the National Academy of Engineering and National Academy of Medicine – provides science, technology and health policy advice to the federal government and other organizations. ∏

The National Center for Families Learning (NCFL), in partnership with Toyota and Village of Promise, unveiled a unique family learning program here in Huntsville. The Toyota Family Learning is a solution to the educational challenges facing low-income and ethnically diverse families.

The Village of Promise received a three-year, $175,000 grant from Toyota and NCFL to launch the program.

“Toyota Family Learning is giving families the tools they need to be involved in their children’s education, get better jobs and be more engaged in their own neighborhoods,” said Dr. Kreslyn Kelley-Ellis, executive director, Village of Promise.

“It’s not just the families being uplifted; they’re giving back to the community through Family Service Learning projects.”

Parents and their children spend time each Saturday learning together in this free program. In addition to gaining skills to help their children succeed in and outside the classroom, parents also build important technology, language literacy, and job skills.

“Toyota is proud to partner with NCFL to bring this innovative and engaging program to Huntsville,” said Jim Bolte, president of the Huntsville-based Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Inc. “This proactive and results-oriented program bridges the gap between classroom and lifelong learning so that people can find success on the road of life.”

This year, NCFL and Toyota celebrate 25 years of partnership. Since 1991, more than 2 million families across the country have been impacted by programs developed by NCFL – a pioneer in the concept of families learning and serving together to raise literacy levels and improve communities. ∏

LEAN Frog honored with Silver Stevie® The LEAN Frog Business Solutions won two Stevie® Awards by the American Business Awards® (ABA). The Stevie’s are the country’s premier business awards focused on recognizing and generating public awareness of achievements, positive contributions, and excellence in the workplace. This year, the awards garnered more than 3,400 nominations.

LEAN Frog won a Silver Award for the “Most Innovative Company of the Year – Up to 100 Employees,” and President and Co-Founder Byron Headrick was recognized with a Silver Award in the “Maverick of the Year – Business Products or Services Industries” category.

Both of these awards highlight LEAN Frog’s success in positively changing public education throughout the Southeast.

Sherri Headrick, LEAN Frog Co-Founder and the Director of Marketing and Personnel, said, “It has been a banner year for LEAN Frog with regard to growth and recognition. To receive these Stevie® Awards on the heels of being selected as the Southeastern Regional Finalist for the U.S. Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business of the Year award is both humbling and exciting. We view these awards and others we have received as a testament to our company values and to our mission – helping public schools succeed through increasing the value they deliver to students, parents, and communities.” ∏

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Bradley Arant Boult Cummings rebrands as Bradley Following a strategic rebranding exercise that includes a new logo and signage, as well as a refreshed website with advanced technologies, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings is now known as Bradley. While the firm will be known as Bradley, its legal name will remain Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP. “It is not enough simply to change our logo and shorten our name. This deliberate exercise ties our extraordinary history together with our core values and our culture today, with the same principles of integrity and passion that have guided us since our firm was founded,” said Beau Grenier, Bradley Chairman of the Board and Managing Partner. “As we have expanded into other markets over the years, we sought to simplify and unify ourselves with consistency across our regions. This exercise has helped us articulate in a contemporary way who we are to our clients and to each other.” ∏

Redstone Federal Credit Union celebrating 65 years!

Congrats to Redstone Federal Credit Union (RFCU) who is celebrating its 65th anniversary in 2016! Back in 1951, 11 arsenal employees put $5 into a shoebox.

Today, RFCU has grown to more than $4 billion in assets, 385,000 members, and ranks in the top 20 of federal credit unions in the country. From $55 in assets back 65 years ago, you could say that RFCU has had seen some pretty good growth!

As part of their anniversary, RFCU will hold community events and monthly promotions, and is in the midst of a nine-month cash giveaway. Redstone – through its vendor - is selecting members each month to share the $65,000 purse. The giveaway celebration kicked off in March and ends in November. ∏

compiled by Hannah Powell

Red Brick Strategies Wins Top Prize Red Brick Strategies won Best of Show for the second time in three years at the American Advertising Federation of North Alabama’s ADDY Awards. Red Brick’s work was recognized with 13 total awards, including seven Gold awards in categories for brand development and integration, cinematography, video editing, illustration, and website development.

“We’re honored to work with such incredible clients,” said Trent Willis, Red Brick Strategies founder and Chief Executive. “They hire us with an expectation of winning results. It’s incredibly rewarding to have the work we do for them recognized as some of the best in our industry.”

Now in its third year, Red Brick Strategies has continued to grow its presence in the marketing and advertising industry. The company has won 25 ADDY Awards since opening its doors. ∏

Snelling Huntsville is Office of the Year Snelling of Huntsville was recently recognized at Snelling’s national convention for the firm’s outstanding performance in 2015. The Huntsville team brought home awards in six categories, including Office of the Year, and Paul Brashier was recognized as Regional Manager of the Year for Snelling’s southeast region. This is the second consecutive year that Brashier has received this honor.

“Snelling’s Huntsville franchise has a long history of outstanding performance.

They are consistently one of Snelling’s top performing offices in our national network and their growth in 2015 outpaced the staffing and employment industry as a whole,” said Ralph Peterson, Snelling’s Chief Executive Officer. “The Huntsville team’s exceptional performance is indicative of the outstanding customer service they provide to their North Alabama clients and the strong local leadership provided by Paul and Kathryn Brashier.” ∏

Brown Precision invests in GE Aviation’s LEAP Engine Brown Precision has invested $2 million in an automated work cell designed in partnership with Morris Group, Inc. The work cell will help facilitate delivery on a $20 million contract to deliver titanium components for GE Aviation’s next generation LEAP engine.

“Our new automated cell will control the machining, measuring, traceability and even part marking of the parts. The cell will not only make us more efficient and keep us competitive but will also provide a reliable and robust process to ensure we always meet our customer needs” said Shannon Pell, Executive VP of Engineering at Brown Precision. ∏

Hargrove Controls + Automation named Integrator of the Year Hargrove Controls + Automation, a department of Hargrove Engineers + Constructors, received the Control System Integrators Association’s (CSIA) 2016 Integrator of the Year award. The award recognizes a member company who has participated significantly in the advancement of the association and profession of control system integration.

“To be recognized on a national level from such a prestigious organization is a true honor for the Hargrove team,” said Burton.

In addition, Hargrove was recently ranked No. 76 on Engineering News-Record’s (ENR) 2016 Top 500 Design Firms list. The magazine’s annual national rankings are based on design revenue for architecture, engineering and environmental firms. ∏

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government&publicaffairs

Redstone Arsenal: Building a Community Together (Part 1)

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ire trucks delivered the special edition of the July 3, 1941 Huntsville Times proclaiming in banner headlines the Army’s decision to locate an arsenal in Madison County. Some $40 million would be invested in facilities, and thousands of people would be employed.

The news was heaven-sent for a struggling mill-village town down on its luck.

It was the eve of the United States’ entry into WWII, just months before the Japanese would bomb Pearl Harbor. War planning, however, was well underway. Huntsville was strategically located some 350 miles from the Gulf coast, placing it just outside the bombing range of an aircraft carrier-launched assault. It was also located near a river and on a railroad line giving it access to key transportation systems to help move large supplies of munitions.

The community had been working for years to locate something – ANYTHING – to the region to support the mounting war effort.

Military facilities were cropping up all around the Southeast, and the Huntsville region considered itself to be a contender. Efforts to locate an airport suitable for military training had failed, as had efforts to locate earlier munitions manufacturing facilities.

Behind the scenes, both Representative John Sparkman and

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READER’S NOTE: This year, the Chamber and our community will be celebrating the 75th Anniversary of Redstone Arsenal. This is the first in a two-part series by Mike Ward on the creation and evolution of Redstone Arsenal. Part two of Mike’s historical look-back will appear in our August/ September issue of Initiatives.

Senator Lister Hill had been advancing opportunities with the Chemical Weapons Service (CWS) since 1939, nurturing contacts with people well positioned in the CWS and advancing legislation to have Huntsville considered for a chemical warfare unit. Among those contacts were the head of the CWS Major General Walter C. Baker and soon-to-be CWS head, Major General John Porter. Both men would make separate anonymous reconnaissance trips to Huntsville between 1939 and 1941 to scout potential sites for a munitions manufacturing facility.

The community first became aware of the opportunity to locate a significant facility (and what was to become the Redstone complex) about two months before the July 3 headlines. Then-Chamber President (volunteer) George Mahoney (pronounced Man-ney) received a call at his clothing store on June 8, 1941 (Johnson and Mahoney) from James Senter of Nashville, industrial agent for the old Nashville, Chattanooga & St. Louis Railway. Senter said he had wind of a proposed industrial development that might possibly be located at Huntsville, and that the following day he was bringing in a group of people connected with the project to look over an area of Madison County. It was acreage where the Nashville, Chattanooga

Mahoney

First Redstone Ordnance Plant building, 1941

& St. Louis Railway had, not so coincidentally, a long and rather idle line of track running south – all the way to the Tennessee River.

The next day, Senter and two Huntsville businessmen – Mahoney and Lawrence Goldsmith, a real estate broker/manager – showed the mysterious visitors (including, it later turned out, a U.S. Army lieutenant colonel in civilian clothes and an Army project engineer) around the land they had come to see and answered their questions about real estate prices and various facets of the community itself.

When the party had gone, Mahoney and Goldsmith, still without much solid information to go on, wired U.S. Sen. Lister Hill and then-U.S. Rep. John Sparkman in Washington, advising them to investigate and seek to land this thing – whatever it was – for Huntsville.

A flurry of telegraphs and phone calls between community leaders, Congressman Sparkman and Senator Lister Hill followed in the ensuing days.

Later that month, the chief of the Army’s CWS wrote a letter suggesting that additional facilities for the CWS be located near Huntsville. The letter outlined the plant requirements and requested authorization and necessary funds to acquire the land and equipment, as well as provide for construction.

Ultimately, the U.S. Army would locate two adjacent arsenals at a cost of more than $85 million on 40,000 acres in Madison County. Redstone Ordnance Plant, drawing its name from the region’s red clay soil that had sustained the area’s agricultural base, would be built next to Huntsville Arsenal to capitalize on the enormous economy of locating an Ordnance Corps shell-loading/assembly plant close to the Huntsville Chemical weapon manufacturing facility. The ordnance site was renamed Redstone Arsenal in 1943.

• Mike Ward

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comingsoon

Come on Down Huntsville to host 2017 AURP

T

AL-07661891-01

he City of Huntsville has been selected to host the Association of University Research Parks (AURP) International Conference in Fall 2017. This will be the first time this prestigious conference has been held in the Rocket City.

“Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park is the perfect location for the AURP conference. Cummings Research Park has been a crown jewel for economic development in Alabama for more than five decades now,” said Mayor Tommy Battle, who co-chairs the 2017 planning committee. “The park has been responsible for helping develop some of mankind’s greatest achievements in aerospace and other technical fields, and is now taking leadership in emerging fields such as biotech, cyber security, and modeling and simulation. We are also in the middle of our plan for revitalizing the park. With such a distinguished past and bright future, it’s no wonder why Huntsville and Cummings Research Park will host this conference.”

The pitch was a collaboration between the City of Huntsville, the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau, the University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAH), and leaders of Cummings Research Park (CRP). The AURP conference proceedings will be located entirely in CRP – both at the new Student Services Building conference facility located on the UAH campus and the Westin Hotel located at Bridge Street Town Centre.

“As the anchor tenant of the nation’s second largest university research park, UAH has played a crucial role in attracting a major corporate presence in Cummings Research Park, and leading Huntsville’s advanced workforce development,” said Bob Altenkirch, president of UAH and co-chair of the 2017 planning committee. “This international conference will provide an opportuni-

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International Conference ty for others around the world to gain a better understanding of our community’s phenomenal success.”

The AURP conference organizers have always wanted to bring this collaborative conference to Huntsville. With our amazing outdoor activities like concerts in the park, food truck events, microbreweries and international visitor attractions like the U.S. Space and Rocket Center, Huntsville is a prime destination for convention-goers!

“The Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau is thrilled that the city has been selected to host this conference in 2017. Many organizations have worked together to bring this prestigious conference here, and this is a great example of just how important local contacts are to bringing conferences, meetings, and trade shows to our city,” said Judy Ryals, President and CEO of the Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau.

CRP has served as a shining example of how beneficial a university research park can be – both to the community and to companies.

“We are thankful that our community proposal was well received, and look forward to a great 2017,” said Erin Koshut, CRP Director. “AURP’s board of directors and attendees of this conference will get to experience the ingenuity and beauty of our Park and our City. We look forward to showing it off.”

CRP has nearly 300 companies located within the Park. For more than five decades, CRP companies, academic institutions and federal agencies have been developing advanced technologies and products that have changed our world. Hosting the AURP conference here in Huntsville is the perfect fit!

To learn more about AURP, please visit www.aurp.net.

• Carrie Rice

Litigation I Businesses Governments

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Individuals I Non-Profits

No representation is made that the quality of legal services to be performed is greater than the quality of legal services performed by other lawyers.

june-july 2016 initiatives

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C

Presenting Sponsor: Photos courtesy of Kaboom Crash Media

ongratulations to our 2016 Best Places to Work® winners! In its 9th year, this event put an exclamation point on the hard work of all who were nominated.

Employees are the key to the success of any business, and all of these companies have good reason to be proud. Clearly, there is no shortage of great companies in Huntsville and Madison County who believe that they work for THE Best Place. Winners of the 2016 awards were selected based on the input from their employees. Thanks so much to presenting sponsor First Commercial Bank, and all our sponsors, for helping make the luncheon such a blast!

Categories included: • Micro = companies with 10 to 20 employees • Small = companies with 21 to 35 employees • Medium = companies with 36 to 149 employees • Large = companies with more than 150 employees

Congratulations to the 2016 Best Places to Work® Winners!

Micro Category: R2C Support Services

Micro Category: EnVention, LLC

Micro Category: Haufe, Inc.

Micro Category: H2L Solutions

Micro Category: Tuba Group, Inc.

Small Category: Nesin Therapy Services, PC

Small Category: Troy 7, Inc.

Small Category: IERUS Technologies Inc.

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initiatives june-july 2016

Small Category: Good Samaritan Hospice of Madison

Small Category: F1 Solutions, Inc.

Medium Category: IronMountain Solutions, Inc.

Medium Category: Integration Innovation, Inc. (i3)

Medium Category: Five Stones Research Corporation

Medium Category: Cepeda Systems and Software Analysis

Medium Category: QTEC, Inc.

Large Category: Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation

Large Category: Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. (MTSI)

Large Category: PeopleTec, Inc.

Large Category: Torch Technologies

Large Category: AEgis Technologies Group june-july 2016 initiatives

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Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County

STA FF Executive Staff

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

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 Amy Tubb, economic development assistant

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

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Eddie Graves egraves@acsal.com 205.999.7315 for more information about

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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

getting your message into Initiatives magazine. communityfoundationhsv.org

www.uah.edu/sbdc theschoolsfoundation.org

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initiatives june-july 2016

Trade up to modern, efficient work space

Representative images of customizable interior spaces

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.

Contact us to find out more about the quality and efficiency advantages of Redstone Gateway at 256.895.9820 or derrick.boegner@copt.com. Located just outside Gate 9 at Redstone Arsenal.

Developed as a joint venture of Corporate Office Properties Trust

and Jim Wilson & Associates, in cooperation with Team Redstone. june-july 2016 initiatives

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PRSRT STD US Postage PAID Birmingham, AL Permit #40

The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County and the CRP Board of Directors would like to thank ADTRAN for their hospitality during the CRP Master Plan announcement and food truck rally in May. 28

initiatives june-july 2016