Contents
6
Letter from the Mayor
7 Calendar
10 56 54
18 27
9
Letter from the Chairman of the Board
10
An overview of Montgomery Public Schools
18
Eastside growth has been phenomenal
20
Public schools are a safe place to be
22
The International Baccalaureate program is a game-changer
24
The magnet program provides an opportunity for students to pursue their passions
27
The importance of a Pre-K program
28
A look at the district’s Elementary Schools
34
Middle Schools have undergone major changes
40
High Schools offer wide range of options
43
Advanced Placement enrollment surges
46
Career Academies open doors to the workplace
50
Montgomery Technical Education Center debuts in the fall
54
Investor Profile: Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood
56
Investor Profile: Rheem Water Heating
58
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama adds a third shift
60
U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions opposes potential Defense Department cuts
62
Business Buzz
70
Members on the Move
74
New Members
75
Ribbon Cuttings
76
Economic Intel
June/July/ August 2012 June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
3
THE NUMBER ONE BUSINESS SOURCE FOR MONTGOMERY AND THE RIVER REGION PUBLISHER
Randall L. George Executive Editor
Tina McManama Managing Editor
David Zaslawsky Editorial assistanT
LaShanda Gaines Design
Copperwing Design Photographer
Robert Fouts On the cover:
Baldwin Arts and Academics Magnet School students perform Advertising:
Linda Drumheller 334-240-9494 mbjsales@montgomerychamber.com
Montgomery Business Journal c/o Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Post Office Box 79 41 Commerce Street Montgomery, Alabama 36101 Telephone: 334-834-5200 Fax: 334-265-4745 Email: mbj@montgomerychamber.com www.montgomerychamber.com/mbj The Montgomery Business Journal (USPS NO. 025553) is published monthly except for the combined issues of June/July/August and November/December, by the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, 41 Commerce Street, Montgomery AL 36104, (334) 834-5200, www.montgomerychamber.com. Subscription rate is $30 annually. Periodicals Postage Paid at Montgomery Alabama, 36119+9998, USPS NO. 025553. Volume 4, Issue 6. POSTMASTER send address changes to Montgomery Business Journal, c/o Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 79, 41 Commerce Street, Montgomery AL 36101, or email mbj@montgomerychamber.com. The Montgomery Business Journal welcomes story ideas from its readers. Email to: editor@montgomerychamber.com. Subscriptions are a part of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce dues structure. Subscriptions can also be purchased for $30 per year at www.montgomerychamber.com/mbjsub.
4
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
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www.aronov.com neal.berney@aronov.com
a letter from Mayor todd strange I was thrilled to be asked by the Chamber to write a column for this special edition of the Montgomery Business Journal. Education has long been important to me. In private business, I saw firsthand the direct correlation between the quality of the workforce and our company’s success. As director of the Alabama Development Office, I witnessed every project we recruited include education at the top of their selection criteria. As mayor, I know that excellent public schools must be the cornerstone of our city’s future. I’m often quoted as saying “So goes public education, so goes Montgomery.� I also tell people everywhere I go, “If you haven’t seen Montgomery, Alabama lately, then you haven’t seen Montgomery.� I need to connect those two statements, because if you haven’t seen the public schools in Montgomery lately, then you don’t know the Montgomery Public Schools. The same surging tide of progress that is sweeping through our city, is also transforming our school system. In a recent conversation with Leslie Sanders of Alabama Power, she talked about Montgomery’s “three Bs�: Superintendent Barbara Thompson, the board of education and the business community – all working in partnership to make amazing things happen. Elton Dean, the Chairman of the Montgomery County Commission, would add a fourth letter to those “B’s�, and that’s a T for “Team Montgomery.� When you combine the elected leadership of our city, county and state working together, rallied in support for Montgomery’s public schools and firmly behind the vision of the superintendent and school board, then excellence is bound to follow. In fact, a new vision is emerging which will include accreditation for our entire school system. It will take a couple of years to become accredited, but it will be well worth the effort and say to the world we are on top of our game. There is a great story to tell about public education in Montgomery. It may begin with the three Bs, but it also includes an International Baccalaureate program; a new state-of-the-art high school in east Montgomery, a brand new career tech center; Career Academies, top national rankings for schools throughout our system, expanding Advanced Placement courses, and expansion of the Montgomery Public Schools nationally recognized magnet program, including having the number-one high school in the state, LAMP (Loveless Academic Magnet Program). These are only a few of the positives. I urge you to go visit a Montgomery Public School, and watch dreams come true here in the Capitol of Dreams!
Todd Strange, MAYOR, CITY OF MONTGOMERY
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Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
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30
Calendar Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Events
JUNE
JULY
12
2
BUSINESS PLANNING SEMINAR 4 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery $10 at the door
11
60 MINUTE COFFEE Sponsored by Auburn Montgomery Outreach 8 AM @ Taylor Center, AUM Campus 7400 East Drive, Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members
13
EGGS & ISSUES WITH CONGRESSMAN MIKE ROGERS Presenting Sponsor: Troy University 7:30 AM @ RSA Activity Center 201 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery Registration requested: www.montgomerychamber.com/rogers 60 MINUTE COFFEE Sponsored by Brantwood Children’s Home 8 AM @ Brantwood Children’s Home 1309 Upper Wetumpka Road, Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members
18
BUSINESS PLANNING SEMINAR 4 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery $10 at the door
21
MILITARY FAMILY APPRECIATION DAY AT THE ZOO Presenting Sponsor: Dreamland Bar-B-Que Restaurant 11:00 AM @ Montgomery Zoo 2301 Coliseum Parkway, Montgomery Free with Military ID
26
CEO ROUNDTABLE BREAKFAST Presenting Sponsor: Alabama Steel Supply, Inc. 7:30 AM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery Free event, registration requested: www.montgomerychamber.com/juneCEO
28
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Sponsored by Hampton Inn & Suites 5 PM @ Hampton Inn & Suites 100 Commerce Street, Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members
SMALL BUSINESS LOAN CLINIC Noon @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery Free event
16
BUSINESS PLANNING SEMINAR 4 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery $10 at the door
19
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Sponsored by River Bank & Trust 5 PM @ River Bank & Trust 7055 Halcyon Park Drive, Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members
26
BUSINESS TAXATION WORKSHOP Two Sessions: 3 PM & 6 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery Free event, open to the public
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
7
Calendar AUGUST
SEPTEMBER
6
BUSINESS PLANNING SEMINAR 4 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery $10 at the door
12
8
60 MINUTE COFFEE Sponsored by Aronov Realty Management 8 AM @ Eastdale Mall 1000 Eastdale Mall Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members
60 MINUTE COFFEE Sponsored by City of Montgomery 8 AM @ Multiplex at Cramton Bowl 220 Hall Street Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members
17
BUSINESS PLANNING SEMINAR 4 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery $10 at the door
9
MINORITY BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP MIXER 5 PM @ Union Station 300 Water Street, Montgomery Registration: www.montgomerychamber.com/mixer
25
DIVERSITY SUMMIT Presenting Sponsor: Alabama State University 8 AM @ Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center 201 Tallapoosa Street, Montgomery Registration: www.montgomerychamber.com/diversity
20
BUSINESS PLANNING SEMINAR 4 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery $10 at the door
27
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Sponsored by Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood 5 PM @ Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood 2660 Eastchase Lane, Suite 200, Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members
23
BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Sponsored by Regions Bank 5 PM @ Regions Bank 201 Monroe Street, Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members
Convention Calendar compiled by the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Convention & Visitor Bureau
June
July
6/3-8
Alabama State FFA Convention
7/27-29 Kiwanis International-Alabama District Meeting
6/6-7
Alabama Reading Association Summer Leadership Meeting
6/6-8
Alabama Association of School Nurses Conference
6/23-29 Council for Leaders in Alabama Schools Summer Conference
8
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
August 8/27-29 Air Force Information Technology Conference
September 9/16-22 Highway Engineering Exchange Program International Meeting
Chairman’s Column Like you’ve never seen before. That could be Montgomery’s new mantra. Our capital of dreams is a city on the move, and the visionary dreams of our citizens and leadership team are being turned into reality on a daily basis. As a result, the landscape is changing in Montgomery, and that change is certainly evident in our Montgomery Public Schools. We have a great story to tell in Montgomery, about a public school system that is striving for, and achieving, excellence. New facilities, new programs, more magnets, and more awards lately than we can keep track of, prompted the Chamber to dedicate this entire issue of the Montgomery Business Journal to our award-winning Montgomery Public Schools. Our region is truly blessed with a great array of educational choices, with excellent private and public school options. Frankly, for many years, Montgomery’s public schools weren’t considered to be one of those quality options, but that tide is turning. While we still have work to do, like achieving system-wide accreditation, it is important to recognize the progress taking place. When the Chamber launched the Montgomery Business Journal, it was with the goal in mind to be the premier provider of business news in the River Region. I firmly believe there is no issue more pressing to the business community and therefore the future of Montgomery than the health of our public schools. Please share the good news, and contact the Chamber if you need additional copies. Best regards,
C. Lee Ellis, 2012 Chairman of the board of directors Montgomery area chamber of commerce
Our fOundatiOn is built On cOmmerce. The Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation works to build a better quality of life in the Capital of Dreams. By reinforcing strategic community priorities, the Chamber Foundation is creating a more prosperous future for Montgomery and the River Region through its support of education, economic development, our military, civic capacity, quality of place, and historic preservation. For information on how you can support the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation, call 334-834-5200. A 501 (c)(3) Non-Profit Corporation, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Foundation operates exclusively for charitable, educational, scientific and literary purposes related to the initiatives of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.
the MontgoMery AreA ChAMber of CoMMerCe
FO U N DATIO N
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
9
Montgomery
Public Schools Creating an environment where students can achieve, succeed, and enjoy learning. by David Zaslawsky
photography by Robert Fouts
When Air Force Maj. Ed Grundel was stationed in Sacramento and learned his next assignment would be in Montgomery he was concerned about his son starting school in Alabama. “We hadn’t heard a lot of good things about public schools in Alabama,” Grundel said. He turned to a friend, who had been to Montgomery the year before, and asked about the schools there. The friend, who has a special-needs child as does Grundel, said some “very good things about Blount” Elementary School in East Montgomery. The friend said he was “really pleased with the special needs program at Blount,” Grundel recalled. Grundel did some homework, reading reviews about Blount Elementary on the Internet and he along with his wife, Corey and two sons moved to Deer Creek and enrolled their son Andrew in kindergarten at Blount, which is part of the Montgomery Public Schools (MPS) district. The Grundels could not be any more pleased about their experience. “The principal is fantastic,” Ed Grundel said. “The school nurse is fantastic. All the kindergarten teachers we have interacted with are excellent right down to the lunchroom staff who are always very nice and friendly to the kids. We have been very happy with the curriculum. Our son has prospered there.” Corey Grundel said that she was impressed that teachers at Blount brought their children to school. “And that’s a big deal for teachers around the city, bringing their kids there,” she said. “Their kids come with them at 7:15 in the morning for school. That was really encouraging for me.” The Grundels’ experience has been so overwhelmingly positive that Corey Grundel said: “If this school was turned into a private school tomorrow, I would pay private school tuition. I am that confident in the school.”
The Grundels did have the financial resources to enroll their son into a private school, but chose otherwise. “We felt a public education is important – the cross-cultural aspect of it,” Ed Grundel said. His wife said that “life isn’t homogenous and you need to have different experiences and backgrounds.” The Grundels’ success story is exactly what Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson wants to hear. She wants all the district’s nearly 32,000 students to achieve, succeed and enjoy learning.
Above: Ms. Petty’s Pre-K class uses technology to make learning fun. Right: The Grundel Family had nothing but superlatives to say about Blount Elementary School. The family members are (from left) Maj. Ed Grundel, Andrew, 6; Matthew, 3; and Corey Grundel.
This fall, the district will launch its International Baccalaureate program and will offer a career technical education program along with seven Career Academies; a growing magnet program for both the arts and academics; and an Advanced Placement (AP) program that continues to expand at a tremendous pace. “It is a unique pathway for our students having all those programs,” Thompson said. “It means that your child can come into this Continued ON PAGE 12
“If this school was turned into a private school tomorrow, I would pay private school tuition. I am that confident in the school.” - Corey Grundel
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
11
MPS by the numbers Number of students
31,470
Number of schools
54
Traditional elementary schools
30
Traditional middle schools
8
Traditional high schools
4
Magnet schools
9
Alternative schools
2
Special education centers
1
Number of employees
3,940
Number of classroom teachers
1,942
Number of substitute teachers
400
Continued from page 11
school district and be challenged at any level. Some of those pathways are going to lead to a four-year college; some will lead to a two-year college; some will lead you right into the world of work. It’s giving students those career pathways that really fit with their strength area.” Now, you begin to see what all those pieces mean and what the big picture is. “The master plan is to bring our traditional schools up to the level of the magnets,” Thomp “That really is the ultimate goal in terms of what we are doing with our rigor and expectations. That is the end game. “These are all steps to get us there. I think kids need deliberate steps to get from places, which is why you have the pre-AP program offered at middle school because they can’t just jump into AP in high school. “It’s why you have the Career Exploratory at middle school because once again you want to go into the Career Academies or career tech. We are making sure that every child takes the explorer test in eighth grade and that goes over their aptitude and skills so when they reach high school they are supposedly doing a four-year plan. That’s every student.”
Number of full-time support personnel
1,898
(classified and certified)
Number of part-time employees
100
Source: Montgomery Public Schools
Top: Booker T. Washington Magnet High students perform in a showcase at Alabama Shakespeare Festival. Right: Forest Avenue Magnet students work as a team in the science lab. Above: A Loveless Academic Magnet student experiments with markers in art class.
12
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
And the programs that the superintendent has implemented the past few years as well as expanding existing ones, support, encourage and excite targeted groups of students – all students. The programs on the surface may appear to be disjointed – what does a pre-K program have in common with an Overage Academy – but the common thread is making sure the students succeed. The pre-K program was expanded from six to 23 programs and turned the closed McKee Elementary School into a pre-K center. Those programs may be cut to 21 because of funding. That’s the youngest targeted group. Here’s what the district has done for other groups of students: > Increased graduation rates, although with the state’s new method of computing graduation rates – those numbers are likely to fall as will graduation rates across the state. > Created a sixth-grade academy to help elementary school students make the transition to middle school. > Created a ninth-grade academy to help middle school students make the transition to high school. > Created an Overage Academy to help struggling ninth-graders who are two or more years older than the usual students further advance in their schooling. > Created a Credit and Grade Recovery program to provide more one-on-one teacher assistance so the students will be able to graduate – and hundreds have.
> Launched an academic magnet program at Johnnie Carr Middle School. > Reconfigured nearly all the middle schools for grades six through eight. > Instituted a school-wide dress code. > Placed a pre-AP program in middle schools. > Placed a career tech program in middle schools. > Will launch a Mandarin Chinese program with Auburn University Montgomery that will be at the new eastside high school (in fall 2013) as well as Carr and MacMillan International Academy. > Consolidated the district by closing some schools and using others in a different way. > Will bring at least 15 highly qualified Teach for America teachers to the district in the fall – and they usually stay for two years.
“It really is a puzzle and you are trying to put it together so you create this environment where learning is really exciting for students,” Thompson said. “We are trying to meet those needs of all of our students. “When I first came here, I gave you the three Rs: relevance, rigor and relationships. All of these programs fall under that category.” You can imagine, a system with nearly 32,000 students has a lot of needs and you can imagine that Montgomery County’s third-largest employer – about 4,500 people – has a lot of needs. Tom Salter, senior communications officer for MPS, likes to point out that if you combine the students and employees, the school district would be the 13th-largest city in the state. “With that many folks compared to a single, private school that has a hand-picked 600 or 700 in it – it’s different, but it’s not necessarily better to be in a private school.”
> Has begun the process for systemwide accreditation.
Just ask the Grundels. They could talk for hours about Blount Elementary School – and they would if you let them.
> Cut $37 million from the budget over three years and turned a $2.5 million deficit into a surplus of nearly $8 million.
Inside the classroom, Thompson is raising the expectations bar and you guessed it – the
Above: Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson reads to students. Right: Students concentrate on completing an assignment.
Continued ON PAGE 14
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
13
Continued from Page 13
students are reaching those goals. In the past, passing a course meant a D or better, but that is no longer good enough. Thompson stresses what she calls a “mastery of skills. To me, mastery is a C or above and that means that kids have a certain skill set. You want to create this culture of learning, where kids come in and they know it’s not going to be OK for me to get a D.”
A teacher leads kindergarten students in a learning exercise at Bear Exploration Center for Mathmatics, Science and Technology.
One of the best public high schools in the entire country is not only in Alabama, but it’s right here in Montgomery.
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14
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
She said that students “slid through elementary,” but had trouble reading and comprehending. “When you get to middle school, you are supposed to be able to read and comprehend,” Thompson said. “If you didn’t get that in elementary school it becomes pretty glaring. It is our job to give them that foundation.” In the fall, teachers will focus on quality over quantity and not try to master everything in a given textbook, according to Thompson. “I believe we should go deeper and cover less. You are supposed to cover certain course skills or course standards and we can do that. It’s just that we have a habit of covering a lot more than just the core.” Continued on page 16
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MPS HIGHLIGHTS T.S. Morris Elementary was recently named a 2011 National Blue Ribbon School one of only 5 in Alabama and 304 in the nation. U.S. News & World Report named four Montgomery Public Schools among the nation’s best. > LAMP was named the No. 1 public high school in Alabama, 32 in the nation. > Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School was ranked No. 12 in Alabama.
> Booker T. Washington Magnet High was No. 15 in the state. > George Washington Carver High School was one of 93 Alabama public schools on the magazine’s list.
Continued from Page 14
Go deeper means to drill home the important concepts and have teachers thinking of different ways to teach the same skill. Staff development has been a mainstay of Thompson and she plans to have all teachers in the same grade level meet and talk to each other once each semester and share best practices among other
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Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
things. She also wants elementary school teachers to communicate with different grade-level teachers so they know where one’s curriculum ends and another starts and discuss the skill sets the students should have. Thompson talked about “retooling� the teaching staff because “teachers are really the heart of the instructional program.� It all comes down to making learning exciting for students. “I would say that I really want kids to enjoy learning because I think you are going to get more out of it when you enjoy the environment that you’re in,� Thompson said. “I think you are going to get more out of it when the teachers feel they are making a difference and they know what they’re doing is good for kids. “To me, it’s about that enjoyment and passion that you want to create in a school system and that’s for the teachers; that’s for the staff; that’s for the parents. We want them to feel welcomed in the system, but you want to create that excitement about learning. That’s my goal.� Yet, despite all the progress there are naysayers and critics and numerous
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T.S. Morris Elementary was recently named a 2011 National Blue Ribbon School.
One of the best public high schools in the entire country is not only in Alabama, but it’s right here in Montgomery.
The only River Region school recognized, T.S. Morris was one of five Alabama schools and 304 schools nationwide to earn the coveted award which is based on overall academic excellence or success in closing achievement gaps.
It has been reported that Loveless Academic Magnet Program (LAMP) was ranked among the top public high schools in the country by Newsweek Magazine. It is worth repeating that one of the best schools in the country is right here in the Montgomery Public Schools district.
The misconceptions about MPS abound, but like all school districts, it has its share of challenges. Yet, the reality is far different than the perception.
Think about that for a moment or two. The Montgomery Public Schools district with its warts and all has a record to crow about and the successes are gaining momentum.
Thompson said she has heard that the district is too violent; too impoverished; and not capable of producing the region’s future work force or preparing students for college.
LAMP was recently named the No. 1 public high school for the State of Alabama by US News & World Report. Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School was ranked No. 12 in the state while Booker T. Washington Magnet High was No. 15. George Washington Carver High School was one of 93 Alabama public schools on the magazine’s list. US News & World Report reviewed 21,776 public high schools for its list of the best schools.
She said that parents who visited schools as part of a shadowing program were surprised at “how quiet the school is; no kids in hallways; no fights; didn’t see all this violence they heard about. They come to visit our schools thinking they are going to see utter chaos and the kids are running the asylum.â€? That’s not the case. Not even close, but the reality is not shared with the community. •
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30 June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal 17
New Schools Abound on Eastside by David Zaslawsky photography by Robert Fouts
East Montgomery parents now know for the first time which public schools their children will attend. It’s all part of the Eastside growth of the Montgomery Public Schools district, which has been nothing short of phenomenal and shows no signs of slowing down. “They will have a new elementary school; a new middle school; and a new high school,” said Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson. “We have never had that in Montgomery. We have all those new schools and we’re training the teachers on the technology so we will have some of the best and brightest working with our kids using current technology.” Thompson said the new schools have smartboards and all the latest technology: “I think young families are looking for schools where their kids are going to be exposed to lots of technology.” The children’s parents have very positive first impressions of the new schools and that helps when competing against private schools, which “are very good at creating a welcoming environment,” Thompson said. It is difficult to top a new school’s welcoming environment. The Eastside schools are close together and bicycle-friendly. Thompson said that a parent could choose to let their child bike
to James W. Wilson Elementary School; bike to Johnnie R. Carr Middle School; and in the fall of 2013, bike to Park Crossing High School. Remember, Blount Elementary is near Carr Middle School. And yes, there will be bike trails. “You have created a neighborhood school, which is what we were trying to get back to when we re-zoned (the district),” Thompson said. “We re-zoned about 15,000 students last summer.” Wilson Elementary is located on 15 acres in the Jim Wilson & Associates’ subdivision New Park and is adjacent to a YMCA, which the students have access to during the school day. Elementary-school aged children living at New Park can walk or bike to the $14.5 million school. The school has attracted a large contingent of international students, who in addition to English speak the following languages – Spanish, Korean, German, Vietnamese, Gujarati, Bengali, Portuguese, Arabic, Urdu, Telugu and Konkani – according to its website. It wasn’t that long ago that Blount Elementary opened in the fall of 2003,
Artist’s rendering of the new Park Crossing High School, to open in 2013.
and it now has more than 540 students with a 20 to 1 teacher to student ratio in kindergarten through third grade, it states on the school’s website. It is the new high school that has generated a lot of buzz. It will be built near the Town of Hampstead development on a new road called Park Crossing, which will connect Taylor Road to Ray Thorington Road. The new $27.3 million high school, which is designed by Goodwill, Mills and
Cawood, has more of a college campus environment than a traditional high school. It is expected to eventually have about 1,000 students. Thompson called the new high school’s configuration “a community of learners with pods.” When Park Crossing High School opens in 2013, it will have ninth- and tenth-graders. Eleventh-graders will be added fall 2014 and the first senior class will begin in fall 2015. •
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
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Schools are Safe Fouts Commercial Photography
by David Zaslawsky
Montgomery Police Chief Kevin J. Murphy.
“We as a society have a tendency to paint everybody with the same brush. You cannot do that.”
The Montgomery Public Schools (MPS) district is a very safe place for its nearly 32,000 students and that statement comes from someone who knows the in and outs of crime.
Someone may call MPS a dangerous school system, but Murphy said “based on what? Population? Then it’s one of the safest in the country. The private schools – they have their challenges, too.”
Montgomery Police Chief Kevin J. Murphy said that the overwhelming incidents that are handled by uniform police officers at the various schools are so minor that there is no report – no paperwork.
The school district brought in metal detectors and Thompson said that a dress code makes it obvious who belongs on campus and who doesn’t, which bolsters overall safety.
“Most of their (officers at schools) day is taken up by settling disputes,” Murphy said. “I think sometimes we have a tendency to hear only the worst cases and that’s not necessarily the norm. Those cases get the headlines; they do get the publicity, but in reality it is a small percentage of what we have to handle in the school system.” Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson said that the “media sensationalizes the things that are inappropriate behavior.” Murphy said that officers may deal with such mundane things as students being outside a classroom without a pass or permission or sometimes students get involved in arguments that don’t escalate into a physical altercation. He said that an officer will escort the student to the office and have a teacher or someone else mediate. That’s it – that’s about as far as most things go. “If you have a student population of 600 or 700 at a school and one kid gets into trouble – starts a fight or pushes somebody – does that make the other 599 students violent?” Murphy asked. “We as a society have a tendency to paint everybody with the same brush. You cannot do that.” He gave another example of a student shoving a teacher and being expelled. “Does that make the whole school rotten? No, it does not.” He said some may think that is a bad school, but “that is not true.”
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Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
There is at least one officer assigned to each high school and middle school in the district. The officers and Montgomery Police Department work closely with the Montgomery County Board of Education. Murphy said the department takes a “holistic approach” by interacting with faculty, students and parents. The Montgomery Public Schools district has 51 uniformed security officers. Thompson said the district has “an incredible working relationship” with the Montgomery Police Department. She said the police department’s involvement “goes far beyond what you expect from a police force.” The police department’s School Security Bureau, which includes 14 officers and three supervisors, was moved from Juvenile Division to Patrol Division because of the nature of the offenses being handled, Murphy said. He said a lot of the incidents “were kids being kids and it didn’t seem like a good fit to be interwoven into an investigative body that looks into felonies.” Murphy stressed that the violations the officers at schools deal with are called delinquent acts because the children are not charged with crimes. He said they are charged with delinquency. The delinquent population for 2011 was 1.55 percent and for the current school year it is 1.81 percent. •
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A Very Big Deal for the River Region International Baccalaureate program is a game-changer by David Zaslawsky
You can see the passion and excitement when Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson talks about the district’s International Baccalaureate program. She really gushes more than talks about the IB, which really is a very, very big deal for not only the school system, but the River Region. When economic development officials here try to recruit a company or hope to have an existing industry expand, having an IB program is a loud message that is well received, according to Thompson. The district’s IB program will be launched in the fall at both MacMillan International Academy – an elementary school – and Johnnie Carr Middle School. All the students at those two schools – about 1,000 students – will be enrolled in the IB program. The Carr students in the magnet program will continue to take pre-AP classes, but will also be part of the IB program. In two or three years, an IB diploma program – if approved – will be added to Loveless Academic High School, but not all students attending LAMP will be in that program. “It’s a game-changer because it brings one of the world’s most prestigious programs to our school system,” Thompson said. “It is another option
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Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
for our kids that want a different level of challenge that we think is very important. It’s a very different approach. “It’s one that is recognized internationally and not only that, but it gets back to that teacher training part again. It trains its teachers.” That training will also benefit teachers at the traditional high schools who learn some of the same techniques used at the IB schools, said Tom Salter, senior communications officer for MPS. It was just recently announced that Auburn University Montgomery is providing the funding for an instructor and textbooks to offer Mandarin Chinese in the IB program. Thompson said that without AUM, the district would not have had the resources to offer Mandarin Chinese classes. Spanish will also be taught at the IB schools. “I don’t think people understand what it (IB) does in terms of that extra level of rigor,” Thompson said. “Everybody keeps saying that LAMP is OK and LAMP is doing great. This is considered another notch up.” The IB program could also be a draw for private school students. When the IB program becomes available at LAMP, Thompson said that private school students in the 11th and 12th grades could go to the IB school. She said that students can also take pre-AP classes in middle school for IB.
“I think it’s going to be a lure for kids at an academically high level who want exposure to that program,” Thompson said. “These kids (IB graduates) are offered automatic admissions at most colleges.” She said one student from an IB program in Huntsville, entered college with enough credits to be a junior. There are only a few school districts in Alabama with an IB program and most have a diploma program. Thompson said that Montgomery may be the only district that will have an IB program at the elementary school level. “For our international community – especially from Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex; and because of our manufacturing base coming from Korea and other places – the International Baccalaureate brings what they may know in their country,” said Nancy Beggs, director of education programs for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. “It certainly is a reason to enroll students in public schools because we don’t have an IB program in any of our private schools. It is a premiere program that’s internationally recognized for quality.” •
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Montgomery Public Schools’ magnet programs help students achieve their dreams by David Zaslawsky
photography by Robert Fouts
In the local community, it is common knowledge that the Montgomery Public Schools district operates a magnet program. Some of the magnet programs at the high school level are common knowledge, including Loveless Academic Magnet Program (LAMP), Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School and Booker T. Washington (BTW) Magnet High School. It may not be common knowledge that the number of students in the high school magnet programs is more than 1,500.
Technology’s seniors with $2.1 million and BTW with nearly $2.1 million and that’s a lot of money for college scholarships – almost $13 million. An aerospace academy has been added to Brewbaker Technology High School. “It gives students an opportunity to find what aerospace is all about,” said Tom Salter,
It may not be common knowledge that there is an extensive magnet program for elementary school students and 1,800-plus participate in that program. It may not be common knowledge that more than 1,100 students participate in magnet programs at the middle school level. It may not be common knowledge that there are nine magnet schools in the district. That’s right. The magnet program is so much more than LAMP and BTW and Brewbaker, but LAMP does deserve some special attention. LAMP students historically are among the state’s and country’s top scholars. One year, seven of the 10 National Achievement Semifinalists from Montgomery attended LAMP. A LAMP graduate is a Rhodes Scholar Finalist. All 10 of the school’s Merit Semifinalists advanced this year and six Achievement Semifinalists also advanced in the scholarship competition. During a recent school year, LAMP as well as Booker T. Washington and Brewbaker Technology had graduation rates of 100 percent. One year ago, graduating students at LAMP combined to receive nearly $8.7 million in scholarships. Now, add Brewbaker
Opposite: Dancers from Baldwin Arts and Academics Magnet School perform. Above: At Floyd Middle Magnet, a science class is held outdoors. Right: Booker T. Washington Do-Wop Singers perform.
senior communications officer for Montgomery Public Schools (MPS). He said that NASA helped develop the curriculum and students have an opportunity to learn from experts in the field. Some of the courses will be about fundamental space flight concepts, electrical systems, kinematics and hydrostatics concepts, according to Caroline Novak, president of A+ Education Partnership. She said that in advanced classes in the Aerospace Academy, students will design and test launch vehicles and build propulsion and guidance systems.
The Aerospace Academy is part of the Southern Regional Education Board’s Preparation for Tomorrow initiative. The district expanded its magnet program by establishing a Carr Academic Magnet School. Most of the magnets are geared for highperforming students. At LAMP, there are 16 Advanced Placement courses available. Booker T. Washington offers a wide range of performing and visual arts, which includes dance, drama and music. The school also features a Center for Advanced Technology; 21st Century Academy for Careers in Law; and Academy for Communication Arts. Continued on page 26
Continued from Page 25
At Brewbaker Technology, students can choose to study architecture/engineering; building sciences; commerce and technology; graphic design; information technology; medical and aerospace.
Photo Cutline
When it comes to middle schools, Baldwin Arts and Academics Magnet offer both arts and challenging academics, which includes foreign languages and computer technology. Students in the arts magnet can choose between band, string instruments, piano, classical guitar, creative writing, dance and visual arts.
Above: Loveless Academic Magnet High student puts the finishing touches on her painting. Right: A student Jazz Band performs at an event.
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Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
can study string instruments, piano, classical guitar, instrumental music, choral music, classical dance and visual art. “The magnet programs allow kids that have specific interests to really delve deeply into those areas like science and math or performing arts,” Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson said. “If that’s your passion – performing arts and dance – it allows you to excel in that area and you are probably going to do better as a student because our (traditional) schools will not have that commitment to classical guitar, dance or the piano.”
Meanwhile, MacMillan International Academy at McKee, an elementary school, offers classes in humanities, technology, communication and international studies.
“The kids who are in those areas probably have discovered very early on that it is an aptitude or strength area for them. They will more than likely end up in some area related to that strength area or certainly it will be a passionate hobby in the future.”
At Carver Arts Magnet School, which is part of Carver Elementary, students
The key is that students must maintain a required grade-point average, which is incentive to do well in all courses to pursue their passion. •
Preparing the Way with Pre-K ‘This isn’t child care – this is learning readiness’ The significance and the impact of a thriving pre-kindergarten program is not lost on Montgomery Education Foundation Executive Director Ann Sikes. “The ability to change a child’s or student’s outcome becomes progressively less successful and more expensive the older they are and the further they are along in school,” she said. “The superintendent absolutely gets and understands that she can invest a little bit now or a lot later,” Sikes said, referring to Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson. “If we can give children good starts then so many of those things that become necessary later on aren’t needed. Children come to school ready to learn and are prepared so they have the abilities to grow successfully on a level with their peers.” Sikes called the Montgomery Public Schools’ pre-K program “a marvelous acknowledgement of our system’s understanding the importance of starting early.” There were just a handful of classrooms for the pre-K children in the beginning, but that has grown to 23 classrooms in Thompson’s brief three years and most are now clustered at McKee Elementary School, which had been closed during a districtwide consolidation. That number may revert back to 21 unless there is funding from the Office of School Readiness. Sikes, whose grass-roots organization is an advocate for public schools and has conducted the comprehensive Believe It campaign to improve public education, said that “4-year-olds are receiving incredibly great pre-K experiences. This isn’t child care – this is learning readiness.” Learning in pre-K is so critical it impacts graduation rates. “It’s an investment in preventing dropouts and people don’t make that connection,” Thompson said. She said
if a child comes to pre-K with skills they will likely be a reader by the end of second grade. “If you aren’t reading by the end of second grade, we know you’re going to have problems,” Thompson said. Those students are at least one-third less likely to graduate, according to Thompson. “That’s why you invest in that foundation.” Although the state does not require that children enroll in school until age 7, Sikes said that Alabama does have “high-quality pre-K standards.” The Legislature has passed a bill that would require children to start school at age 6. That bill is awaiting the governor’s signature to become law.
by David Zaslawsky
program does is try to bring those students up to where they are ready to go into kindergarten so they are ready to learn.” Although the number of children participating in the district’s pre-K program “is a drop in the bucket,” Sikes said – there were 363 this year – “it’s a pretty good drop.” Salter said there are more than 2,700 children in kindergarten, but with limited funding it is difficult to reach more pre-K children. “The need is great, but the resources are lacking,” Salter said.
“The ability to change a child’s or student’s outcome becomes progressively less successful and more expensive the older they are and the further they are along in school.” - Ann Sikes, executive director of the Montgomery Education Foundation
The Montgomery Public Schools partnered with several organizations including Head Start and Success By 6 as well as received funding from the Office of School Readiness and the district itself. “The biggest difference between private and public schools is that we take everybody,” said Tom Salter, senior communications officer for MPS. “We have children who come to us in kindergarten or pre-K who read. We also have students who have never held a book. We have a variety of readiness for school. What the pre-K
Actually, Montgomery is reaching twice as many children as the state average for pre-K. About 10 percent of all pre-school children in Montgomery, including those in private schools, attend pre-K programs. The percentage for Montgomery Public Schools is between 12 and 14 percent, which Thompson said “is pretty significant.” •
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
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Shana Mosby
In Their Element Excellence begins in the Elementary Schools by David Zaslawsky
photography by Robert Fouts
When Shana Mosby found out she was pregnant, she and her husband bought a house at the Dalraida subdivision so their child would attend Dalraida Elementary School. “I had heard really positive things about Dalraida and it being a great neighborhood school,” Mosby said. Their house is exactly one-half mile away from the school or as Mosby puts it: “Front door to front door.” Her daughter’s experience at Dalraida Elementary School has been wonderful although wonderful may not adequately describe Mosby’s feelings. She said she loves the school and on this day when she was interviewed, she wore a blue T-shirt with the school’s initials “DES” emblazoned across the front of the shirt. “It is a very positive learning environment,” said Mosby, an occupational therapist by trade, but who is now teaching three half days at her younger daughter’s child development
center. Her 10-year-old daughter, Maggie, who has been at Dalraida since kindergarten, will be a fifth-grader in the fall semester. “A lot of people want to request teachers, but you can’t go wrong wherever your child is in class,” Mosby said. “The teachers care. The teachers make sure that the kids understand.” Mosby also said that the school meets its adequate yearly progress. Yet, there is one aspect that Mosby was not happy with. She said she was upset when sixth grade was moved to middle school as part of a districtwide program to have nearly all middle schools be grades six through eight. Mosby was upset “because it meant one less year at Dalraida.”
Shana Mosby said she loves Dalraida Elementary
School, which her daughter attends. For Mosby, Dalraida “is the best school in town – elementary-wise,” but there are other elementary schools in the Montgomery Public Schools district that are doing quite well.
Continued on page 30
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
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since 1982 – that’s not a lot of schools in about 30 years. The award is given to schools where either students achieve at a high level or where the achievement gap has narrowed.
Abpve: Highland Avenue students participated in Read Across America with a Dr. Seuss favorite. Left: Students participate in a classroom exercise at National Blue Ribbon School, T.S. Morris Elementary.
Continued from Page 29
A few years ago, Forest Avenue Academic Magnet Elementary School received a prestigious honor by being named a National Blue Ribbon School. That is a big deal and truly means something. More than 6,500 schools have received the award from the U.S. Department of Education
Forest Avenue features an academically accelerated instructional program in which students work one grade level ahead in reading, English, spelling and math. Social studies and science classes have numerous field trips and the students are taught Spanish, computer technology and participate in science lab projects, including the Living Science Lab in the school’s courtyard. Forest Avenue and Dalraida are also involved in a friendly, but serious rivalry when it comes to students checking out school library books. Mosby said that through the end of April, nearly 83,000 books were checked out from the school’s library, which keeps Dalraida “neck-and-neck� with Forest Avenue. Continued on page 32
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T.S. Morris Elementary School, a traditional elementary school, has been named a National Blue Ribbon School two years in a row. T.S. Morris was only one of five Alabama schools to receive the award for 2011, and just one of 304 schools nationwide. “Excellence is a hallmark of T.S. Morris and they have demonstrated that by consistently performing well,� Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson said in a statement. “The school has been named an Alabama Torchbearer School twice and in recent years, one of their teachers
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Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
Opposite page: Wilson elementary is one of the newest public schools. Shown: main entrance and cafeteria. Left: Mrs. Finch’s class enjoys Wilson Elementary’s Media Center. Above: Students at Garrett Elementary work on a class project.
received the prestigious Milken Foundation Teacher Award. This is not only a great accomplishment for T.S. Morris and our school district, but for the entire community.” Two other district schools – Highland Avenue Elementary School and E.D. Nixon Elementary School – have been named
an Alabama Torchbearer School, which is awarded to high-performing schools in highpoverty areas. Four elementary schools are participating in the city’s garden project; two schools were picked for state’s Way to a Healthier Alabama Campaign and another elementary school
was selected to be in a groundbreaking project on obesity in Alabama. All students at MacMillan International Academy at McKee will be enrolled in the International Baccalaureate program in the fall semester 2012. The school already attracts international students. •
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
33
District overhauls middle school education by David Zaslawsky photography by Robert Fouts
Carr Middle School students apply science and math in the robotics program.
Some of the most dramatic changes in the Montgomery Public Schools district have taken place in the middle schools. The district modified its model by transforming nearly all middle schools in the district to grades six through eight, eliminating four different configurations. Another important change was creating what the district called a sixth-grade academy, where all the sixth-graders are grouped together. “Middle schools are tough times for kids because they are making a transition into adolescence and adulthood,” said Tom Salter, senior communications officer for MPS. He said that the sixth-grade academy helps with the adjustment of moving from an elementary school to a middle school environment.
“It helps them make the transition into the culture of how their education will be not only in middle school and high school, but in college as well,” Salter said. The changes inside the classroom have been impressive, too. A pre-Advanced Placement (AP) program has been launched in the middle schools, which will help prepare students for taking AP classes in high school by taking a more rigorous curriculum. Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson said that 3,716 eighthgraders had enrolled in pre-AP classes. Yes, that is a huge number and much more than you might expect. The teachers also benefit from the pre-AP program because they are likely to also teach traditional classes as well and it “helps to give the teachers some more tools,” Salter said. Continued on page 37
Continued from Page 35
“Our changing role in the middle school is to focus a lot on what I call those social, teambuilding kinds of skills, where kids learn more about problem solving,” Thompson said. “I would like us to focus more on a projectbased learning environment, which really creates what I consider to be the best environment for learning for that age group because kids won’t sit and listen to a lecture. That is why the district brought in robotics and the pre-AP programs, the smartboards and those sorts of things because they are more hands on.” Johnnie R. Carr now has a magnet program – Carr Academic Magnet School – that according to the MPS website “focuses on project-based learning” while offering math and science courses one year above a student’s current grade level. Salter said the magnet program is based on the AP model with “accelerated academics in all core areas.” In the fall, the entire school will adopt the International Baccalaureate model. Continued on page 39
Ms. Protho works with students at Floyd Middle for Mathematics, Science and Technology.
“Our changing role in the middle school is to focus a lot on what I call those social, team-building kinds of skills, where kids learn more about problem solving.” -Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
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Ms. Taylor’s class meets in the Media Center at Johnnie Carr Middle School.
Continued from Page 37
Career technical classes are now offered in middle schools and a robotics program is available in middle schools.
technologies education, which features a Career Discoveries course for middle school students.
The robotics program combines math and science “in a way that kids don’t really know they are learning,” Thompson said. “For most kids it’s fun – they really get into that kind of environment.”
Eighth-graders are being exposed to what’s available in the seven Career Academies, which are for high school students. They can attend camps to learn about the various Career Academies, and the district also has videos. •
Depending on the school, there are courses in business/marketing; family and consumer science education; and career
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June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
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hospitalit District provides wide range of choices for high school students by David Zaslawsky
photography by Robert Fouts
High schools are the final journey before students prepare to enter the work force or continue their education or a combination of the two.
hnology od education
In the Montgomery Public Schools district high school students can choose to enroll in one of seven Career Academies as long as they maintain a prescribed grade-point average. They may very well graduate with a certificate in a given field, which could lead to employment right after high school. In the fall, about 300 students will enter a career technical educational program. Some high school students will be enrolled
in magnet programs and some will be taking Advanced Placement courses to prepare for college. Others may opt for dual enrollment and graduate with a high school diploma and a two-year degree. In two or three years, the district plans to offer an International Baccalaureate diploma, from the widely recognized and highly respected academic program. The district offers all those programs and has additional programs to help struggling students succeed. Continued On page 42
“It’s where you become more independent as a learner and a person.” Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson
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Continued from Page 41
“High schools are where you should learn how to manage assignments independently,” Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson said. “You are still learning content knowledge – particularly in the math, science, language arts and writing areas – but you should be pretty polished when you come out of high school.” “It’s where you become more independent as a learner and a person, who is responsible for assignments. I like the idea of students working on community projects so you also learn it’s important to give back and it’s not just about you the student.” Many of the district’s high schools have been around for a while in one form or another, but a new George Washington Carver High School opened in the late summer 2010. The school first opened in 1949 with 875 students, 24 classrooms and 23 faculty members. In the fall of 2013, the district will open Park Crossing High School on the connector road between Taylor and Ray Thorington
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
roads in East Montgomery, near the Town of Hampstead development. The school is projected to hold 1,000 students. There are magnet programs at three high schools: Booker T. Washington Magnet High, Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School and Loveless Academic Magnet Program High (LAMP). In addition, there are Career Academies at Carver High School, Sidney Lanier High School, Robert E. Lee High School and Jefferson Davis High School. The district has implemented a ninth-grade academy to help those students making the big leap from middle school to high school. The students will be grouped together. A Credit and Grade Recovery program has been extremely successful as 400-plus students have graduated. “The students got a chance to go back, get the necessary credits and graduate,” Thompson said. The district’s Overage Academy is specifically geared for ninth-graders who are two or more years overage to help them advance. •
Up to the Challenge Advanced Placement enrollment goes ‘through the roof’ by David Zaslawsky
The number of students taking Advanced Placement courses in the Montgomery Public Schools district has soared in recent years. Several years ago, the state received money as part of a five-year, $13.2-million national math and science initiative grant to increase the number of AP courses; the number of students taking AP classes; and the number of students making the required score to obtain college credits. Ann Sikes, executive director of the Montgomery Education Foundation, said that the “goal was to make AP classes more available for kids who maybe had not had that opportunity before or frankly who had not been tapped to participate. The goal was if you raise the bar they will reach it. They will rise to the challenge. It was proven without exception.” The students did. Alabama ranked No. 1 in the percentage increase of qualifying AP scores from 2008-2011 in math, science and English and minority qualifying scores in the same subjects.
For the 2010-2011 school year, MPS students took a combined 1,787 AP tests and 712 of those tests had the necessary qualifying scores for college credits. From 2010 to 2011, there was a 26 percent increase in the number of exams taken compared with 2010 and a 32 percent increase in the number of qualifying scores. Go back a little further and there has been a 67 percent increase in AP enrollment since 2009 and a 162 percent increase in students posting the required scores for college credits. There has been an increase of about 550 percent of minority students enrolled in AP classes from 2007 (132 students) to 2012 (843 students). “The number of students taking AP classes has gone through the roof,” Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson said. She also pointed out that those AP qualifying scores mean college credits and reducing the number of college courses a student needs. Bottom line: Saving money.
“If you raise the bar, they will reach it. They will rise to the challenge.”
It should be noted that a student might very well be taking more than one AP class, but that still does not minimize the substantial increase in the number of students taking those academically challenging AP classes. Continued on page 44
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Caroline Novak, president of A+ Education Partnership, said that in 2008 MPS students had a combined 204 qualifying scores on the AP tests. That was before the A+ College Ready program was launched to increase enrollment in AP classes in science, math and English. Three years after the program was introduced, the number of qualifying scores from schools in the program jumped to 526 and the number of minority students with qualifying scores went from one-fourth to more than half (272) of all the qualifying scores. Caroline Novak is president of A+ Education Partnership.
Continued from Page 43
The number of students taking and passing AP tests should continue rising as the district has implemented a Pre-AP program in its middle schools, which will help prepare students for the AP courses in high school.
44
Those numbers should continue to grow as another school is expected to join the program this year. “This is really about a community and a school system that recognizes that all of us do better when we play up,” Sikes said. “There is nothing wrong with being challenged.” •
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
AP Courses offered by MPS
> Art > Calculus > Government > U.S. history > Chemistry > Music theory > Computer > Latin > European history > English literature and language > Physics > Spanish > Biology > Statistics > Economics
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Preparing for the Future Career Academies open doors to workplace by David Zaslawsky photography by Robert Fouts
When Laikyn Perdue was a junior at George Washington Carver High School she enrolled in the Hospitality/ Tourism Career Academy.
Laikyn Perdue, who graduated from George Washington Carver High School, enrolled in the Hospitality/Tourism Career Academy. She has been working part time for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Convention & Visitor Center.
She said she took a hospitality/tourism class that spanned numerous topics including the importance of communication; interview etiquette; hotels; restaurants; customer service; and resumes. Perdue, who graduated this June, has been working part time at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce’s Convention & Visitor Bureau (CVB) using the knowledge she gained from the Career Academy. She works at the front desk and “is the first face they see when they come into the office,” Perdue said. Her job responsibilities include operating the switchboard and providing information about Montgomery attractions and restaurants as well as mailing a Visitor Guide to those who request it. “I have learned so much about tourism,” Perdue said about her CVB job. “I think the most interesting part has been learning about what it actually takes to get events and conventions to come to Montgomery. I’m learning about room nights and learning about promoting the City of Montgomery.”
Although she plans to study medicine at the University of Alabama-Birmingham later this summer, Perdue said the lessons learned at the Career Academy will stay with her. “No matter what type of profession I have, I will still need to know how to communicate. Everything will still come into play.” She said the Career Academy “is a great program that really prepares you for your future. It prepares you for jobs. It prepares you for life in general.” Some of her classmates are working in the food departments at local hospitals and others have worked at Dreamland Bar-B-Que, Wynlakes Golf & Country Club and with the Montgomery Biscuits AA baseball team. “The Career Academies were the first steps to address the needs of a variety of students in a way that was very creative because it involved the business community in terms of making them aware of the cyclical relationship between education and the work force,” Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson said. The seven Career Academies at the Montgomery Public Schools district are still in their infancy and growing quite well. There are almost 900 students (893) currently enrolled in the Career Academies and that number has surged from 666 in the last school year. The goal for the 2012-2013 school is 1,000 students, which is one year ahead of schedule. That amazing growth is expected to continue, especially since an aggressive campaign was launched to introduce eighth-graders to the Career Academies through highly successful camps.
Top: Health Science Academy (Jeff Davis High School) student takes a patient’s temperature at Baptist South. Left: Advanced Manufacturing Academy student receives realworld experience at Carver High School.
The seven Career Academies are: Information Technology (73 students), Teaching (116), Business/Finance (302), Law/Public Safety (119), Health Science (138), Hospitality/ Tourism (87) and Advanced Manufacturing (58). Thompson said that the district may add some Career Academies when Park Crossing High School opens in East Montgomery in fall 2013. She said there are 10 acres available at Park Crossing High
School and she is considering an AgriSciences Career Academy, which could be linked to the Montgomery downtown farm. Another possible Career Academy is design/ architecture. She said that both of those potential Career Academies also tie into programs at Auburn University. Another important aspect is that students receive real workplace experience, which will help them decide if they enjoy what they’re doing. “Most of the kids have a very narrow focus on what they can do in life and this gives them that experience that beforehand was missing,” Thompson said. The Career Academies are a school within a school, where students study course classes along with specialty classes built around a theme. “The idea of the Career Academies is that you have a lot of choices,” said Tom Salter, senior communications officer for MPS. “If you get a certification and you’re ready, you can go to work. If you want, you can go to college.” He said that with an agreement with H. Councill Trenholm State Technical College, a student in the Health Science Career Academy could graduate and have a licensed practical nurse degree. It’s possible to graduate with a high school diploma and associate’s degree at the same time, according to Salter. There are numerous certificates that Career Academy students can graduate with and those are tickets to jobs. An MPS brochure for the Career Academies states: “Preparing students for life after high school!” It also displays five careers with salary ranges that are based on years of experience, training and education level. Those careers and salary ranges are: > Professional chef: $29,050 - $51,540. > Teacher: $47,100 - $51,580. > Registered nurse: $51,640 - $76,570 > Information technology specialist: $51,690 - $84,110 > Banking professional: $30,850 - $54,700. Continued on page 48
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“The idea of the Career Academies is that you have a lot of choices.” - Tom Salter, senior communications officer for MPS
Continued from Page 47
The Advanced Manufacturing Career Academy and the Hospitality/Tourism Career Academy are both at Carver High School. Students in the Advanced Manufacturing Career Academy will learn about electricity, robotics, hydraulics, fabrication and welding while students in the Hospitality/Tourism Career Academy will learn about culinary arts, tourism, marketing, recreation and travel. Students enrolled in the Information Technology Career Academy at Robert E. High School will learn about programming, networks, PCs, diagnostic techniques and system maintenance. The Teaching Career Academy at Jefferson Davis High School exposes students to early childhood education, teaching and training. The Health Science Career Academy, which is also at Jeff Davis, will teach students about medical terminology, blood pressure, pulse readings, CPR, how to administer first aid and about the structure and function of human body.
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Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
Students participating in the Business and Finance Career Academy at Sidney Lanier High School will learn how a bank operates as MAX Federal Credit Union has opened a branch there. Students will also learn about basic accounting concepts, financial terms, investing, bookkeeping and loans. The Law and Public Safety Career Academy at Lanier High School will teach students about fire prevention and control; consumer and contract law; first responders’ responsibilities; criminal investigations; and emergency care procedures. There is one more important lesson that Perdue learned in the Hospitality/Tourism Career Academy. She learned how to cook breakfast: pancakes, eggs, sausage, eggs and grits and the students then ate their meals. Perdue acknowledged that she needed cooking lessons and those could come in handy during her college years. What was even more memorable than students’ cooking their own breakfast was when the teacher made meatball sandwiches for the class. “It was delicious,” Perdue said. •
Careers Gears
&
Montgomery Technical Education Center will prepare students for ‘lucrative, fulfilling careers’ by David Zaslawsky
photography by Robert Fouts
areers ears
A grandmother attending Montgomery Public Schools’ “Careers & Gears Night” had a brief conversation with the district’s superintendent. The grandmother said that her granddaughter, who was in the eighth grade at the time, was not sure which high school she would attend. The grandmother told MPS Superintendent Barbara Thompson that the eighth-grader will attend the Montgomery Technical Education Center in the fall at the now vacant McIntyre Middle School, which will be renovated. “We’ve been trying to create programs for all kids to make sure that they have career pathways and we are looking at strength areas for students,” Thompson said. “Out of all the initiatives I have done since I’ve been here, I think this is going to be one of the most important because it will impact the most kids. I think it will really capture and engage kids in a way that we have not in this school district.” Talk about career pathways. The need for welders in Alabama is both scary and hard to fathom when you’re talking about 15,000 just in the Mobile area over the next 10 to 15 years. That was the projection from Kevin Atkins, work force development manager for Mobilebased Austal USA. The Australian company, which has U.S. Navy contracts, needs 1,000 welders right now, according to Atkins. The state needs skilled workers – make that desperately needs skilled workers. There is a current need for 3,500 construction-related jobs in Alabama and more than 200 of those are in the Montgomery area, according to Jason Phelps, assistant director of the Alabama Construction Recruitment Institute. The importance of the skilled trades is not lost on Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, who signed a proclamation naming a late week in April as “Alabama Skilled Trades Week.”
“As we continue to rebuild our state after last April’s devastating tornados, I recognize the importance of bringing attention to the need for skilled tradesmen to help us rebuild,” Bentley said in a statement. “We will need skilled workers for years to come not only to help us replace what we lost but also to help our state continue to grow. Recruiting more students to skilled trade careers will improve our work force, help us recruit business and industry and lower our unemployment rate.”
More than 700 students and their parents attended the school district’s Careers & Gears Night at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl. A dozen companies set up information booths.
Recruiting more students to skilled trade careers is exactly what MPS is doing. The career tech center could handle between 300 and 400 students in the fall, according to Thompson, and that number could grow to 600-plus after two years when another building is renovated and depending on student interest. “Students in career tech have a different strength – different aptitude and it’s one that we marginalized in the past as not being as important or as good as the others – I think that has been a problem,” Thompson said. That is the past. Right now, student interest was overwhelming and shocked school officials, who expected a couple of hundred students and parents, but more than 700 Continued on page 52
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
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“I think it will really capture kids in a way that we have school district.” Montgomery Public Schools Superintendent Barbara Thompson Continued from Page 51
attended the Careers & Gears Night at the Multiplex at Cramton Bowl. There were also a dozen or so manufacturers, who had booths at the event. Alabama Power had a booth and handed out information, including a sheet about line workers, who start out at $14.75 an hour and after becoming a qualified apprentice (six to 12 months) the pay jumps to $23 an hour. A brochure from the program stated: “Start preparing for a lucrative, fulfilling career today at the new Montgomery Technical Education Center” and “You don’t have to go to college and get a traditional four-year degree in order to make a life for yourself.”
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Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
Phelps told the students and their parents that the average age of construction workers in Alabama is 40 and the average age of skilled workers is 50. MPS plans to launch its Technical Education Center in phases. One of McIntyre’s two classroom buildings will be used in the first phase, according to Mike Rutland, president of JMR Architecture, which will work in conjunction with W.L. Bush Architect & Associates to renovate the buildings. The career tech students will then move to the newly renovated building so their original classrooms can be gutted and upgraded, which will take about two years, according to Rutland. The students will also take their core classes at the tech center. Thompson said the career tech classes will be in the following fields: carpentry/millwright; industrial maintenance, which includes electrical, plumbing and HVAC (heating, ventilation and air conditioning) and welding. “I think this community needs those skills,” Thompson said. “You need good welders. You need plumbers. You need electricians.”
and engage not in this Thompson said that the career tech program will have an entrepreneur strand “so our kids will be taught how to run their own business and money management because we think that’s important. You can start on this pathway; go back to school; expand, but it gives you a foundation and money to do those things that maybe you otherwise wouldn’t be able to do.â€? “Career tech is a program that benefits all students,â€? said Nancy Beggs, director of education programs for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and the former director of Career Technical Education for the State of Alabama. She said that a physician is taught in the same manner as a career tech student: Told about something; shown how to do it; and then do it themselves. “That’s why the lab experience in career technical education is so important because students have got to be able to practice what they have been taught to do. That practice involves the combination of the academic skills that they learn and the technical skills that they learn.â€? Thompson said it’s a 12-month program with students working in the summer and will earn certificates and some students will have dual enrollment with H. Councill Trenholm State Technical College. “When kids are in their strength area, you don’t see discipline problems,â€? Thompson said. “They are engaged. They’re doing what they love doing and they feel good about it. They are in their world – like a fish in the water.â€? The business community has thrown its support behind the career tech program and has given assurances about hiring graduates. •
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Investor Profile BUSINESS BUZZ (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 63)
David Reed, left, is a principal and executive vice president at Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood. He is also in charge of civil engineering. Retired Air Force Colonel Al Allenback is vice president of the firm’s airport planning and engineering division.
Airport Division Takes Off Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood grows company by adding disciplines by David Zaslawsky
photography by Robert Fouts
When clients of Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood asked if the company could help with airport work, the Montgomery-based firm saw an opportunity.
Airports are big business in the state – $4.8 billion in 2010 with aviation-related payroll about $1.8 billion, according to retired Air Force Colonel Al Allenback, who is vice president of the firm’s airport planning and engineering division. There are 84 airports in Alabama and another 52 heliports. “One of three people work for a company that in some way uses aviation in Alabama,” Allenback said. “The state is growing and aviation is very important to the state.” There are also hundreds of more airports in Georgia, Florida, South Carolina and Tennessee, where Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood (GMC) also has offices. “Our position is that your airport runway is the most important main street in town,” Allenback said. “That’s how we look at it. You can build a mile of roads and that’s a good thing, but if you build a mile of runways – you have a highway to the world. That’s something that more and more people are recognizing.” The company’s first airport client – Lanett Airport in Chambers County – came on board in early 2007 and since then – well, the airport division has been flying high ever since. Very high and very fast. GMC now has 14 airport clients and last year the division generated more than $2 million. “It’s a significant impact for something that is really a start-up,” said David Reed, a principal in charge of civil engineering and an executive vice president. The airport clients have five-year contracts and the division really took hold with work at Montgomery Regional Airport. GMC rehabbed the main, 10,000-foot runway; put in new carpet through the main terminal; worked on aprons and taxiways; worked on storm drainage on the airfield and one of the most high-profile projects was the intermodal facility, an enclosed area for taxi, limousine, bus and delivery drivers and a cell phone parking lot. “Getting the Montgomery airport – this contract – is what made the airport division go,” Reed said. “If we had not gotten this contract, we would have been at the least a small player with the airports in the state of Alabama. When we got this airport, we took off on a path that we’ve been able to make the airport division successful.”
Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood Number of employees 300-plus Number of offices 10 Corporate headquarters Montgomery Office locations In Alabama: Huntsville, Birmingham, Mobile, Eufaula, Vernon, and Andalusia; Atlanta, Georgia; Greenville, South Carolina; Nashville, Tennessee; Fort Walton Beach, Florida Divisions Architecture, Planning, Transportation, Landscape, Surveying, Interior Design, Geotechnical, Environmental, Engineering River Region projects Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center, Alabama Realtors Building, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Southern Poverty Law Center, Union Station renovation, Dexter Avenue Streetscape, Civil Rights Memorial Museum, Blount Cultural Park, Alabama State University football stadium and complex, Robert Trent Jones Clubhouse, Gateway Park, Trinity Presbyterian renovations and media center, East Montgomery High School, Montgomery County Detention Facility, Mount Meigs Juvenile Detention Facility, Montgomery Zoo, Montgomery City Hall renovations, Montgomery Performing Arts Centre, Montgomery Regional Airport
The company has continually grown by adding divisions to take care of clients’ multifaceted needs.
Perhaps the bottom line for GMC is its employees are not your everyday type of employee, but highly trained professionals.
Reed stressed that it was the company’s focus on community involvement that resulted in landing a contract with the Montgomery Regional Airport. He said community involvement is one of the company’s keys to success.
“One of the primary things we try to instill in our employees is an entrepreneurial spirit and not worry about the principals or what the department heads are doing,” Reed said.
“Without community involvement, we wouldn’t know Al,” Reed said, referring to Al Allenback. “Without community involvement, we wouldn’t know the airport board. Without community involvement, we wouldn’t know the Chamber; and the Chamber is critically important for what we do out here (airport) and what we do in economic development.” He understood that without the company’s community involvement and involvement with the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, there may never have been projects at the airport. There are other reasons for the company’s success and part of that can be traced back to 10 years ago when GMC made a conscious effort to become a multi-discipline firm or one-stop shop. Reed likened that to a “kind of cradle to the grave consultant for our clients.”
“Each individual can go out and act as their own boss. They operate in a sphere where they have a lot of influence of their own destinies.” Allenback, who returned to the firm in January 2011 after taking a two-year hiatus, said the company is “agile and innovative.” He said, “I hate to use the term out-of-the-box because it’s been used too much – we think out of a cube. “This place is as close to a fighter squadron as I am ever going to get in the civilian world working for Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood. These guys – are all fighter pilots. I mean that – that’s their attitude. They attack problems and find solutions.” •
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
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Investor Profile BUSINESS BUZZ (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 63)
Peter Reynolds is vice president and general manager of Rheem Water Heating.
Getting Into Hot Water Rheem Water Heating develops, designs and manufactures products in Montgomery by David Zaslawsky
photography by Robert Fouts
Rheem Water Heating is one of the larger companies in Montgomery and is well known in these circles.
Products such as those help make the company successful, but “continuity of vision” is the key, according to Reynolds. He said that Rheem has been in Montgomery for 40 years and the division head office has been in Montgomery for a little more than 20 years. “We then brought all our brain power that runs the water heating division in one place in Montgomery. We most recently established our customer care center – a standalone call center just off of Carmichael.
Most people know that Rheem manufactures water heaters. Fewer people may know that Rheem supplies 100 percent of Home Depot’s water heaters and 100 percent of the water heaters for Menard’s, which is a home improvement chain in the Midwest. Even fewer people may know that Rheem has invested $25 million the past five years in Alabama, including $7 million of that total just last year. Rheem is also planning to spend millions more in the future. It is not widespread knowledge that Rheem designs and develops its products here and even designs its own manufacturing equipment right here in Montgomery. There are an estimated 100 to 150 employees in the research and development division in Montgomery, according to Peter Reynolds, vice president and general manager of Rheem Water Heating. “For other companies, R&D is being done in India or China so they don’t have the ready access to the engineers who are making design decisions,” Reynolds said. “It makes us more efficient; it helps us stay connected; and it also helps us to understand the opportunities.” Just last year the company won a prestigious industry award for its Rheem XR90 gas water heater that was designed, developed and manufactured in Montgomery. The company also has two manufacturing plants in Mexico. The award-winning 29-gallon water heater is faster and more efficient than the standard 50-gallon unit and costs 17 percent less to operate annually. It fits any place that has an existing 30-, 40- or 50-gallon water heater. The new unit delivers more hot water and heats the water faster than standard units and Reynolds can vouch for it. “This product was one that I was so impressed with that I put the first one that came off the assembly line in my house,” Reynolds said. “I was a perfect candidate for it because while I’m not a plumber, I am the son of a plumber and I was able to do 90 percent of the (installation) myself.” He did call a contractor to inspect his work and wanted to get feedback for the engineers. Now, the company will offer a new product between June and September. Reynolds said the unit is not only new to Rheem, but new to the industry. He said the company spent $6 million on the project last year and this year.
“Having all of our assets here – all three of those key disciplines, which are division head office; sales and marketing; our customer care capability; engineering; research and development; plus a very well-established manufacturing footprint – is probably the key to our success.” He credits the growth of the business organically – as opposed to buying other companies – as another factor in Rheem’s success. “We grew our business from the ground up as Rheem for over 100 years making water-heating products,” Reynolds said. “We haven’t had to integrate secondary manufacturing or other companies to do it.” Reynolds said that the success of being Home Depot’s lone water heater supplier “is the biggest single event in the most recent 20- to 30-year history of Rheem that made us who we are today.” There is no inventory kept to fill orders for Home Depot – for the thousands of stores it has other than a day’s production at best. “Our commitment to Home Depot is receipt of order to receipt of goods is 10 days,” Reynolds said. “Typically, from the day we get the order, we are building it and putting it on a truck within three days.” Those water heaters are being built in Montgomery and at the company’s two plants in Mexico. “We keep our investments where they are most advantageous,” Reynolds said, “and tying up our dollars in raw material or work in process doesn’t help our customers. It doesn’t help us because it just ties up capital. We would rather tie up our capital in plant, people and equipment that can help generate income.” •
Rheem Water Heating Number of employees
1,200-plus Products
Water heaters and heating products Locations
Three in Montgomery with a combined 700,000-plus square feet
“It will be the most energy-efficient of its type in the market,” Reynolds said, “and built right here in Montgomery; designed in Montgomery by our engineers; and very much a key part of our long-term plan to continue to invest in this plant for the next generation of consumers. Energy efficiency is something we embrace.”
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
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The global mandate from Hyundai Motor Co. is squeeze as much production out of each of its existing manufacturing plants rather than build new ones.
Shifting to a Higher Gear Hyundai will add 877 workers, third shift to Montgomery plant by David Zaslawsky
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Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
The Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama’s (HMMA) facility in Montgomery has been squeezing all it can from a plant with a stated annual 300,000unit capacity. The manufacturing plant built a record 338,127 vehicles, a 12.5 percent increase from 2010 by using five 10-hour shifts and some Saturdays. Even that has not been enough to keep up with the demand for the Korean automaker’s Sonata and Elantra, which are both manufactured in Montgomery. These two vehicles combined account for about twothirds of all Hyundai sales in the U.S. More than 410,000 of Hyundai’s 645,691 units sold last year were Sonatas and Elantras. This year, demand has been so strong that Hyundai Motor America (HMA), the company’s sales and marketing arm based in California, has increased its sales projection to exceed 700,000 vehicles this year – shattering last year’s record. John Krafcik, CEO of HMA, told the Automotive News, “We are literally selling cars off the transporters.”
The company announced it is adding a third shift to increase capacity by 20,000 units and hiring 877 workers. That pushes the HMMA work force past 3,000. The third shift will begin in September and is expected to reduce some of the overtime that has been needed the past two years. The increase in capacity means that the company is expected to manufacture 345,000 units this year, according to Robert Burns, senior manager of public relations and sales for HMMA. Hyundai is not alone in adding a third shift to its manufacturing plant. General Motors has added third shifts to several plants and closer to home, Kia Motor Manufacturing Georgia added a third shift for its plant in West Point, Georgia; and Mercedes announced a third shift at its Alabama facility in Vance for the first time in its 18-year history there. “The continued success of Hyundai’s Sonata and Elantra in North America is a direct reflection of the dedication to quality and craftsmanship by every HMMA team member,” Young Deuk Lim, president and
chief executive officer of HMMA, said in a statement. “This commitment is the key reason Hyundai Motor Co. chose to continue to invest in the people of Alabama and increase vehicle production in Montgomery.” Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange recently went to Korea to visit with Hyundai Motor Co. officials along with Alabama Governor Robert Bentley, Alabama Department of Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, and others. The Alabama contingent visited other Korean companies including Hyundai Heavy Industries to ensure strong relationships. It was Bentley’s first trip to Korea.
After reporting Hyundai’s best April with 62,264 sales, Dave Zuchowski, executive vice president of national sales for HMA, said in a statement: “Vehicle availability continues to improve and our announcement … of the assembly plant expansion in Alabama will provide much needed production increases for our highly fuel efficient Sonata and Elantra sedans while generating nearly 900 new jobs for the local economy.” The expected ripple effect will mean additional jobs at the dozens and dozens of Hyundai suppliers as well as retail businesses as there will be more employees spending money. •
Strange said that in the Korean culture it is important for company CEOs to meet with their counterparts and the governor is considered to be the CEO of Alabama. “It’s not just Montgomery, but the entire River Region that will benefit from this because the people who get those almost 900 jobs are going to come from throughout the entire region,” Strange told the Montgomery Advertiser.
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‘We don’t have the money’ Sessions rejects Defense Department cuts; warns about rising national debt by David Zaslawsky U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions strongly voiced his opposition to proposed Defense Department cuts and warned about the dire consequences of the rising national debt. The Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC) does not “save near as much money as it was promoted,” Sessions, R-Alabama, said before a Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Eggs & Issues event at the RSA Activity Center. “I have to be shown this is the right process.”
U.S. Sen. Jeff Sessions
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He said that BRAC costs money because people are moved; facilities are shut down; and some structures must be
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
built to accommodate the personnel moves to existing sites. “I don’t think it’s a done deal,” Sessions said, referring to the Obama administration’s plan to reduce the size of the military. Sessions also had some strong words for the proposed cuts to the 908th Reserve Air Wing at Maxwell Air Force Base, which would eliminate all the C-130H cargo planes stationed there and dramatically impact its mission. “I don’t think the plans that I’ve seen make sense to me and they are going to have to explain that,” Sessions said, although he
acknowledged that cuts will be nationwide. “I know we are going to have to reduce costs. You should expect your delegation to make sure that it is a smart move.”
All things military are of utmost concern to the River Region, where Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex have a combined annual economic impact of more than $1.5 billion.
He saved some of his strongest comments for automatic $500 billion in Defense Department cuts over 10 years as part of a $1.2 trillion deficit package that kicks in 2013 because a Congressional super committee failed to reach a budget reduction deal. That amounts to a 20 percent cut in defense spending “while the remaining five-sixths of the United States government would increase 50 percent,” Sessions said.
He offered some suggestions to create jobs and prosperity without increasing the national debt:
He pointed out that the Defense Department is already slicing about $490 billion from its budget and an additional $500 billion is too much. “Our military has served so fabulously,” said Sessions, the ranking member on the Senate budget committee. “They have been deployed, deployed, deployed and risked their lives. And they’ve done it without complaint. Wherever they have been asked to go they have gone. We do not need to dishonor them at this point.”
is not going to get better and we’re not going to get out of it simply by economic growth, although that is important.” He outlined projected costs of entitlements over the next 75 years and the message was to stop digging when you are in a deep hole. He warned that: > Social Security will have a $7 trillion unfunded liability.
> Exploit American energy. > Eliminate regulations “that do not serve a useful purpose.”
> Medicaid will have a $3 trillion unfunded liability.
> Institute tax reform that “promotes growth and prosperity.”
> Medicare will have a $30 trillion unfunded liability.
> Toughen trade policy; in particular, stop China from manipulating its currency, “which makes their goods 25 percent cheaper than they should cost. They are playing us like a fiddle.” He said there is a trade war, “but we’re just not fighting.”
> The new health care plan will have a $17 trillion unfunded liability.
His harshest remarks were about the national debt. “I do criticize the president for not laying out a plan to change the debt course of America because it’s getting worse because of demographics,” Sessions said. “We are an aging society and the situation
“We don’t have enough money,” Sessions said and then repeated his statement, but added the word “really.” He said, “Somebody has got to say no. Somebody has to point out that we don’t have the money.” •
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Member News
BusinessBuzz Will Wilson
JIM WILSON & ASSOCIATES NAMED PROPERTY MANAGER FOR HIGH POINT TOWN CENTER MONTGOMERY – Jim Wilson & Associates has been named the property manager for High Point Town Center in Prattville. The shopping center, which opened in 2008, has more than 175,000 square feet of retail space available; 20,000plus square feet of available office space; 12 outparcels for sale or lease; and a 38-acre adjacent site for development. High Point Town Center features Bass Pro Shops, Belk, JCPenney, Publix and Best Buy as well as a number of small retailers.
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“High Point Town Center provides a unique opportunity for Prattville and Central Alabama to add new retailers who complement Belk, JCPenney, Publix and Best Buy,” Wilson & Associates President Will Wilson said in a statement. “Jim Wilson & Associates’ efforts will focus on making a positive impact to the project with new retailers.” The company is currently developing the $1 billion Redstone Gateway, adjacent to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. The long-term project will feature 4 millionplus square feet of office space, two hotels and 125,000 square feet of retail space. Montgomery-based Jim Wilson & Associates developed EastChase in East Montgomery. Other Montgomery projects are Wynlakes Golf & Country Club; New Park subdivision; Lakeview Center; and Sterling Centre. High Point Town Center was bought by Dallas-based Clearview Investments Ltd.
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
Bailey Properties, will both serve on the BSR’s board of directors. John Bailey will also serve on BSR’s finance committee.
Daniel Hughes
SUMMIT HOUSING PARTNERS, BAILEY PROPERTIES MERGE MONTGOMERY – Summit Housing Partners, LLC of Montgomery has merged with Little Rock, Arkansas-based Bailey Properties, LLC. The two formed a new company, BSR Trust, LLC, creating a portfolio of 111 multifamily properties located in 10 states with almost 600 employees. The management of BSR Trust will be a combination of executives from Bailey Properties, LLC and Summit Housing Partners, LLC. Daniel Hughes, founder of Summit Housing Properties, LLC will serve as the new company’s CEO. Patti Bailey and John Bailey, CEO of
“We are pleased to announce this merger of two industry leaders to create a stronger company with a focus to provide an exceptional living experience for each of our communities,” Hughes said. “We will rely on the traditional values that built our two companies and look for opportunities to continue to grow our business in the future.” The merger is the result of many months of planning and research to align both companies and plan for future growth. Together, the companies bring combined assets of $1 billion-plus, representing 18,689 units. The company’s strategy for growth will be centered at growing markets with below-average unemployment rates including Oklahoma City, Tulsa, Oklahoma, Shreveport, Louisiana, Houston, Dallas, Little Rock, New Orleans and Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
BSR Trust will continue to maintain corporate offices in Montgomery, Birmingham and Little Rock.
providing our community with quality health care and this award recognizes that dedication.�
“BSR Trust has a bright future and we are excited about the opportunity to continue to provide value to our residents while building value for our shareholders,� Hughes said.
Baptist Medical Center East is a 150-bed acute care hospital providing a broad range of health care services. It is one of three hospitals which comprise Baptist Health, the largest health system in Central Alabama. Baptist Health was recently named a Thomson Reuters Top 15 Health System and was the only system in Alabama to receive the prestigious recognition.
The merger has been approved by both companies’ board of directors and remains subject to regulatory approval and project lender consent.
Committed to Montgomery.
Committed to you. Jim Dunklin, Commercial Area Manager
Thomson Reuters researchers evaluated 2,886 short-term, acute care, non-federal hospitals to name the top 100 hospitals.
Meet Jim Dunklin, an experienced business leader in the central Peter Selman
Alabama market. He
BAPTIST MEDICAL CENTER EAST NAMED ONE OF TOP 100 HOSPITALS
joins Hancock Bank
MONTGOMERY – Baptist Medical Center East has been named one of the nation’s 100 Top Hospitals by Thomson Reuters. Baptist East is the only hospital in Alabama to receive the designation. The Thomson Reuters 100 Top Hospitals study evaluates performance in 10 areas: mortality; medical complications; patient safety; average patient stay; expenses; profitability; patient satisfaction; adherence to clinical standards of care; post-discharge mortality; and readmission rates for acute myocardial infarction (heart attack), heart failure and pneumonia. The study has been conducted annually since 1993. This is the second time Baptist East has been recognized. “We are incredibly proud of this recognition,� said Peter Selman, CEO of Baptist Medical Center East. “We are committed to
as Commercial Area Todd Strange
Manager. His 30 years
MONTGOMERY LISTED AMONG HARDEST-WORKING CITIES
of experience in economic development and
MONTGOMERY – Montgomery was ranked No. 23 on Parade Magazine’s list of the “25 HardestWorking Towns in America.� Parade’s editorial team analyzed the total number of hours worked, commute times, unemployment rates, the number of dual-income families and the likelihood of people giving up personal time for work to determine the rankings.
strong spirit of community service, backed by one of the strongest banks in the nation, will help energize our region. Find out what his team can do for you today, visit hancockbank.com. Perry Hill Branch 1695 Perry Hill Rd. 334-279-7009
Taylor Road Branch 2755 Taylor Rd. 334-260-4000
They found a high percentage of Capital City residents scored four points above the national average by stating that they did not mind giving up personal time for work hours. The study also showed Montgomery as a city working harder than others to keep (Continued on page 64)
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BUSINESS BUZZ (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 63) unemployment rates lower through both government policies and private sector opportunities. “I believe the partnership and commitment of city leadership, along with the county and the Chamber has proven to be instrumental in creating opportunities for our residents,” Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said. “We work every day to help ‘prime the pump’ to ensure our community can continue to have quality jobs and good quality of life for our work force. “I believe the Korean companies that have located in Montgomery have taught their team members a strong work ethic. These companies continue to win national quality awards for products and company productivity and the result speaks volumes.”
Bob Howell
VETERAN NEWS ANCHOR RETIRES FROM WSFA MONTGOMERY – Long-time news anchor Bob Howell retired from television, ending more than 32 years working at WSFA 12 News. He has been a fixture on television sets in Central Alabama for more than five decades. “Since first arriving in Montgomery in 1976, I’ve been honored to have anchored our news coverage of just about every major event in Alabama.” Howell said. “I’m resigned to the fact that I’ll miss the
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excitement of working at WSFA and in television news, but I plan to enjoy other opportunities and challenges following my retirement from television news. I feel I still have a lot to offer.” After starting in radio during high school in his home town of Geneva – and five years in TV news in Dothan – Howell’s career at WSFA began in August 1976 anchoring the 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. newscasts. He spent the next 22 years anchoring more than 10,000 live newscasts and serving as the news department’s managing editor. He also reported news from major cities around the country and had several foreign assignments covering stories in England, France, Germany and Kuwait. During that time Howell also produced awardwinning documentaries, hosted WSFA’s “Newsmakers,” “Alabama Illustrated,” “Inside Alabama’s Legislature” and co-hosted the Jerry Lewis MDA Telethon and the Children’s Miracle Network fundraisers. “I have had the pleasure of working with Bob for nearly six years,” said Scott Duff, news director for WSFA. “I would like to personally thank Bob for his dedication, hard work and commitment to excellence over his 30-plus years at WSFA 12 News and wish him nothing but the very, very best in his retirement.” Howell left the station in 1998, but returned in June 2004 to again anchor the news at 6 p.m. and 10 p.m. He also hosted a weekly feature called “Exploring Alabama with Bob Howell.” “Since the ’70s Bob Howell has been a mainstay in this region and an important member of the WSFA 12 News team,” said Collin R. Gaston, vice president and
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
general manager at WSFA 12 News. “His wisdom, demeanor and desire to be the best have kept this station on top during all the years he has been associated with it. We wish him continued success and happiness in the future and look forward to having him back as often as we can.”
Pat Watkins
RE/MAX BROKER ASSOCIATE RECEIVES PLATINUM CLUB AWARD
“Almedia’s dedication to this unit is exemplary,” said Gretchen Vercher, director, 6 Tower neurology/orthopedics. “Our patients love her and those she works with praise her for her ability to handle anything that comes her way with grace and poise. Almedia is highly respected by her peers, supervisors, and physicians and she is a great resource for the less experienced nurses on the unit. She is very deserving of this award and is a true example of what nursing is meant to be.” The Pam Wolfe award is a service award dedicated to the memory of nurse Pam Wolfe, who served as nurse manager on the surgical floor of Baptist East hospital. She was recognized by her peers and faculty for her leadership and devotion to nursing.
MONTGOMERY – RE/MAX Tri-Star broker associate Pat Watkins has been awarded the Platinum Club Award at the company’s international convention in Las Vegas. Watkins, a member of the Hall of Fame for RE/MAX, has received the Platinum Club Award for 10 straight years. The award is given to those in the 1 percent of top producers in the world. The RE/MAX franchise network is a global real estate system operating in 87 countries with nearly 6,500 independently owned offices and 90,000 member sales associates.
Bettie Borton
MONTGOMERY DOCTOR WILL LEAD AMERICAN ACADEMY OF AUDIOLOGY MONTGOMERY – Dr. Bettie Borton was recently elected as president elect of the American Academy of Audiology.
MONTGOMERY – Jackson Hospital recently announced that nurse Almedia Davenport received the Pam Wolfe Award.
With a membership of more than 12,000 worldwide, the academy represents audiology professionals from across the United States as well as 13 foreign countries. It is the world’s largest professional organization for audiologists.
Davenport has been a nightshift nurse on the 6 Tower for more than 25 years.
The academy promotes quality hearing and balance care by advancing the
JACKSON HOSPITAL VETERAN NURSE RECEIVES PAM WOLFE AWARD
loan volume to $677 millionplus while generating more than $13.1 million in net income.
profession of audiology through leadership, advocacy, education, public awareness and support of research. Borton, who is CEO of Doctors Hearing Clinic which has offices in Montgomery and Auburn/ Opelika, will begin her three-year stint with a term as presidentelect starting in July. She will become president in July 2013. “I am honored to have been elected to this position,� Borton said, “and look forward to serving both the profession of audiology as well as those with hearing loss and their families on the national/ international stage. It will be a privilege to serve as president of the academy, and I will work diligently to promote its priorities, strengthen its foundations and advocate for the professionals and consumers it represents.�
Thomas Dozier
ALABAMA AG CREDIT RETURNS $5.45 MILLION TO CUSTOMERS MONTGOMERY – Alabama Ag Credit sent a record all-cash patronage totaling $5.45 million back to its customers, including nearly $1.2 million to customers in the Montgomery area. Alabama Ag Credit’s Board of Directors declared the patronage return to its customers because of the institution’s results in 2011. For the year, Alabama Ag Credit, a Montgomery-based lending cooperative, grew its
“When you consider those facts, along with our strong credit quality and capital positions, you can quickly see why this board of directors declared another record-breaking cash patronage,� said Thomas Dozier, chairman of the board of directors for Alabama Ag Credit. As a member of the Farm Credit System, a network of rural lending cooperatives, Alabama Ag Credit has a long history of sharing earnings with its customers. The association has returned more than $24 million in cash to its borrowers since 2006. “We continue to be that reliable source of credit to agriculture and rural Alabama during a time when many lenders have turned away from this
market,�said Alabama Ag Credit CEO Douglas Thiessen. “We are using our strengths to help our stockholders be positioned for a rapidly changing market.� Alabama Ag Credit provides financing for farms, timber and forestry operations, agribusinesses, recreational land and other rural property in 40 counties in Southern Alabama. CUNNINGHAM GROUP CAPTURES PUBLIC RELATIONS COUNCIL AWARD MONTGOMERY – The Cunningham Group won an award of excellence at the Public Relations Council of Alabama conference in Huntsville. In the category of Special Events Awards, Cunningham Group (Continued on page 66)
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BUSINESS BUZZ (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 65) won for The American Cancer Society Montgomery Chapter 2011 Vintage Affair’s invitation for the annual fundraiser.
UAB HEALTH CENTER MONTGOMERY CONDUCTS UAB KENNAMER DISTINGUISHED LECTURE
The Public Relations Council of Alabama is the state’s longest operating and largest group of public relations practitioners.
MONTGOMERY – Dr. Mike Saag was the honoree at this year’s annual UAB Kennamer Distinguished Lecture.
Cunningham Group Inc. has been providing advertising and public relations services in Montgomery since 1974.
He is a professor of medicine and the Jim Straley Chair in AIDS Research and director of the UAB (University of Alabama-Birmingham) Center for AIDS Research. Saag is an internationally recognized leader in basic science and clinical research and also in the comprehensive care of patients with HIV infection. He made key discoveries in the genetic evolution and viral dynamics of HIV.
Ashley Aaron
The Distinguished Lecture Series, sponsored by the UAB Health Center Montgomery, was established in 1978 to bring leaders in health care to Montgomery to interact with local medical, civic, political and business leaders.
CHARTER HR LAUNCHES WEBSITE, PAY CARD SERVICES MONTGOMERY – Charter HR has introduced a full-service website and Pay Card. “The new website allows better navigation of all our service platforms and offerings,” said Ashley Aaron, senior vice president and agency director for Charter HR. “Our Pay Card Visa/Debit delivery platform is a way to allow an employer to convert all paychecks into a direct deposit at no cost.” Each Pay Card is personalized for each employee and accepted throughout the world. Charter HR is a full service professional employer organization with services that include payroll delivery and taxes, human resources services and employee benefits. For information, contact Charter HR at www.mycharterhr.com
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Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
In another development, the UAB Health Center Montgomery received a $6,500 grant from the Department of Medicine at the UAB School of Medicine to study innovations in medical education and the benefits of enhanced communication and teamwork skills on patient care. MAX CREDIT UNION CELEBRATES GROUNDBREAKING IN LEE COUNTY MONTGOMERY – MAX Credit Union held a groundbreaking at the branch site of its expansion into Lee County. The new branch, which is scheduled to open in the fall, is located at 3021 Frederick Road in Opelika. The branch will feature lobby and drivethru service and the latest in modern design and technology. A concierge will greet members
BUSINESS BUZZ and individual kiosks, staffed with employees who offer members one-on-one personalized service. There will be a MAX Perks refreshment center, providing free coffee and bottled water, and the MAX Business Center, where members can have a quiet area to organize paperwork, send a fax or make copies of documents. MAX Credit Union is a fullservice financial institution headquartered in Montgomery.
John Veres
AUBURN MONTGOMERY SELECTED AS CONFUCIUS INSTITUTE SITE MONTGOMERY – The Office of Chinese Language Council International, or Hanban, has cleared the way for Auburn University Montgomery to establish a Confucius Institute on campus. “We are incredibly proud to be able to establish the AUM Confucius Institute and we consider our partnership with the Office of Chinese Language Council International one of this university’s highest honors,” said AUM Chancellor John G. Veres III. “This achievement is a testament to the vision and hard work of all those associated with AUM’s Far Eastern Initiatives and to the relationships we have built with the faculty, staff and students of our 33 sister universities in China.” Veres and Special Assistant to the Chancellor Yaw-Chin Ho, head of the AUM Office of Far Eastern Initiatives, traveled to Beijing, where they formalized
the university’s partnership with Hanban at its headquarters. The AUM Confucius Institute will promote Chinese language and culture both on campus and in the surrounding community, including local K-12 schools. In September, the university will dedicate a Confucius Garden on campus with guests traveling from China to take part in the event and celebrate the establishment of the new institute.
Les Massey
WHITFIELD FOODS RECEIVES PRESTIGIOUS AWARD FROM PEPSICO MONTGOMERY – Whitfield Foods has received the Contract Manufacturer of the Year Award for excellence in productivity, cost control, quality and customer service from its primary customer, PepsiCo. The award singles out Whitfield Foods, one of 64 PepsiCo contract manufacturers throughout the United States, for consistently providing significant value through the most innovative product and packaging solutions while delivering outstanding production results. PepsiCo and Whitfield Foods have worked together since 1998. “This is truly an incredibly high honor that PepsiCo has presented to us,” said Les Massey, president and CEO of Whitfield Foods since December 2000. “To be honored this way by one of the most outstanding food and beverage (Continued on page 68)
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BUSINESS BUZZ (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 67) companies in the world is both humbling and gratifying.
and women for jobs through a 13 week training course.
“It is because of our highly dedicated employees that we are receiving this award. This amazing group of employees, many of whom have been with the company for a significant number of years, understands what it takes to be the best in our industry. For PepsiCo to recognize that is a wonderful testament to our employees.”
The participants meet 9 a.m.4 p.m. Monday-Thursday to explore topics such as how to be a good employee, goal setting, responsibility, accountability, basic math and English, computer training and proper interview practices. Each student will receive specialized classroom and on-the-job training.
Whitfield Has become a key player in launching Tropicana Twister single-serve juice drinks, Dole juices, 10-ounce Tropicana juices, 96- and 64-ounce Tropicana ShelfStable Orange Juice, Lipton gallon teas, SoBe and Amp Energy Shots. The company also produces single-serve Gatorade and a food service Limeade and Cherry Limeade. “The Whitfield Foods team dedicates itself to our success every day, and as a partner has helped us meet and exceed our production and innovation needs, while providing excellent quality and customer service for a variety of PepsiCo beverages,” said Art Lawrence, vice president of contract manufacturing at PepsiCo.
Michael Coleman
HOPE INSPIRED MINISTRIES OFFERS PROGRAM FOR JOBLESS MONTGOMERY – Hope Inspired Ministries is a new faithbased nonprofit that prepares chronically unemployed men
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Michael Coleman is executive director of Hope Inspired Ministries. For information, contact Hope Inspired Ministries at (334) 649-4330 or at Michael@hopeinspiredministries. org. The organization is located at 52 Adams Ave.
Energy Services Network. This will substantiate that the heating and cooling system meets the industry installation standard.
John Chambless Jr.
Stephen King
CHAMBLESS KING ARCHITECTS ANNOUNCE PARTNERSHIP
Charlie Edwards
EDWARDS PLUMBING & HEATING VP RECEIVES ENERGY STAR CERTIFICATION MONTGOMERY – Edwards Plumbing & Heating Vice President Charlie Edwards was recognized by the Air Conditioning Contractors of America as a participant in the Quality Assured Program. This program recognizes professional heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) companies that install heating and cooling systems in support of the Energy Star for Qualified New Homes program. For Energy Star new homes, heating and cooling systems that are installed by Edwards Plumbing & Heating will be validated by specially trained raters from the Residential
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
MONTGOMERY – Montgomery architects John Chambless Jr. and Stephen King have recently announced their partnership, combining more than six decades of experience. The partners have previously collaborated on notable local projects including the City of Montgomery master plan, Riverwalk, Health Service Inc.’s new River Region Health Center and Alabama State University’s master plan, residence halls and football stadium. “We have assembled an experienced and award-winning staff in an innovative environment coupled with the latest technologies and resources to produce exciting design meeting the industry’s most exacting standards,” Chambless said. One of the latest technologies Chambless King Architects utilizes is software that gives the
client the ability to see a building in three-dimensional views. Chambless King Architects offers a variety of services including architecture, interior design, project management, urban planning/master planning, project cost and schedule management. Additionally, project experience covers a wide range of commercial and institutional building types ranging from office and retail space, health care, government and military buildings, religious, educational, entertainment and hospitality facilities. Chambless graduated from Auburn University in 1980 with a bachelor’s degree in environmental design and a bachelor’s degree in architecture. King also graduated from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in architecture. Chambless King Architects is currently designing their new office space on the third floor of the former Brew Pub at 12 W. Jefferson Street in downtown Montgomery. For information, call (334) 272-0029. BEASLEY ALLEN ATTORNEYS NAMED TO PRESTIGIOUS 2012 SUPER LAWYERS LIST MONTGOMERY – Thirteen Beasley Allen attorneys were selected for inclusion on the 2012 Super Lawyers list. That is a designation earned by fewer than 5 percent of lawyers in the state. Included on the list is the firm’s founding shareholder, Jere L. Beasley, as well as shareholders J. Greg Allen, Thomas J. Methvin, J. Cole Ports, Daniel W. “Dee” Miles III, Andy D. Birchfield Jr., Rhon E. Jones, Benjamin E. Baker Jr., Julia A. Beasley and Kendall C. Dunson. Three Beasley Allen attorneys also were included on the Super
BUSINESS BUZZ Lawyers “Rising Stars” list, which recognizes the top up-and-coming attorneys – those who are 40 years old or younger, or who have been practicing 10 years or less. Beasley Allen’s Rising Stars are Chris D. Glover, William H. Robertson V and Navan Ward. The Super Lawyer designation is based on peer recognition and personal achievement, and involves a statewide nomination process, independent research on each candidate and peer evaluation by practice area. The criteria included verdicts, settlements, transactions, representative clients, experience, honors and awards, special licenses and certifications, position within the law firm, bar or other professional activity; pro bono and community service, scholarly lectures and writings, education and employment background and other outstanding achievements.
She received the credential by meeting the requirements that included being a CPA; at least 80 hours of personal financial planning education; and 3,000 hours of planning experience within the previous five-year period. Wilson passed a comprehensive exam covering nine topic areas and is a member in good standing with the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants. Currently, more than 5,000 CPAs hold the personal financial specialist credential nationwide. Copperwing and Neptune Win Advertising Award MONTGOMERY – Copperwing was selected as the Gold winner in the “Best in Advertising Award” for its 2011 Neptune ad featured in the American Water Works Association publication, Opflow, which is sent to each of the organization’s more than 50,000 members. Copperwing’s ad for Neptune, “Fits the Bill”, was chosen by a group of more than 50 judges who included those in the utilities and marketing industries.
Brianne Wilson
WARREN AVERETT WILSON PRICE CPA EARNS PERSONAL FINANCIAL SPECIALIST CREDENTIAL MONTGOMERY – Warren Averett Wilson Price Division certified public accountant Brianne Wilson has been awarded the personal financial specialist credential. She joins an elite group of professionals who have demonstrated advanced knowledge of tax, estate, retirement, investment and insurance planning.
Advertisements in the competition were assigned points based on three criteria: a high degree of visual magnetism; ability to inspire readers to learn more at first glance; and clarity of information regarding product or service. •
FOUND A WAY TO USE LESS DOUGH. ANOTHER DAY. ANOTHER VICTORY. Don’t let her sweet personality fool you. Morgan is a true retail warrior, fighting to make each day a little more successful than the last. So when she learned that Charter Business could give her Internet speeds up to six times faster than standard DSL,* unlimited long distance† on her same phone number, and TV with digital music ‡ for atmosphere, sheswitched. Morgan now has a partner that understands her challenges. The money she’s able to reinvest in her business is just icing on the cake.
To submit your business news for publication, email a press release to editor@montgomerychamber.com. Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Members only. Contact your dedicated Charter Business representative today.
Call Pamela Higgins
334-318-8522 Pamela.Higgins@chartercom.com
©2012 Charter Communications. Savings claim based on Small Business Claims Study by Data & Management Counsel, Inc. *Speed comparison as of 3/14/12. Internet speeds may vary. †Unlimited Long Distance available only to Charter local customers and applies only to direct-dial calls within the U.S., Puerto Rico, and Canada. ‡Customer is responsible for and must secure any music rights and/or pay applicable fees required by ASCAP, BMI, or SESAC. Restrictions apply. Call for details.
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
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Members on the Move CHAMBER OF COMMERCE ASSOCIATION OF ALABAMA NAMES ARTHUR EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR MONTGOMERY – Jeremy Arthur Former Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce President Jeremy Arthur has been named executive director of the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama. “We are extremely pleased and fortunate to have a person with the unique blend of experience and professional ability that Jeremy Arthur brings to the executive directorship of the Chamber of Commerce Association of Alabama (CCAA),” said CCAA board member William J. Canary, president and CEO of the Business Council of Alabama (BCA). “We have known and enjoyed working with Jeremy for the past eight years at the Prattville Chamber,” Canary said, “and we look forward to working even closer in our new partnership on all matters important to our state in his new capacity at CCAA.” The BCA and the CCAA, which formed a relationship known as The Partnership, represent the combined interests of one million Alabamians through member companies and 120-plus local chambers of commerce. Arthur brings years of experience in chamber of commerce work to the CCAA job. In 2004, he was named executive vice president of the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce and subsequently was named president of the organization that has more than 875 members. Before joining the Chamber, he was an outreach research assistant for the Economic Development Institute at Auburn University. He holds a bachelor’s degree in political science; a master’s degree in public administration; and is a doctoral candidate in public administration and public policy, all from Auburn.
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“I am excited about the new opportunity that awaits me,” Arthur said. “Under the leadership of CCAA Board Chairman Jan Wood and the entire CCAA board of directors, I look forward to helping achieve the CCAA’s goal of ‘building a better Alabama through strong chambers of commerce.’ ” COPPERWING DESIGN ADDS THREE TO STAFF
Natalie Panciera
MONTGOMERY – Copperwing Design has announced the hiring of three additions to its media, account services and creative departments: Natalie Panciera, Haley Scott and Grace Garrett.
Panciera, who is a media planner and Haley Scott buyer, is responsible for the development of multimedia plans, strategies and campaigns. She previously served as an associate media buyer and planner Grace Garrett for Birmingham’s Intermark Group, where she purchased traditional, digital and social media for various clients. In addition to having drafted client budgets and strategies, she also brings to Copperwing experience creating competitive audits involving search engine optimization and search engine marketing within a branding context. Panciera graduated from the University of Alabama with a bachelor’s degree in communications. Scott will serve as account coordinator, working closely with Copperwing’s account director to plan and implement projects. Her prior service as a branding specialist for LogoBranders included acquisition of new accounts in the utility, health care, manufacturing and travel/ hospitality industries.
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
Her experience also includes event coordination, presentations and serving as a client liaison. Scott graduated from Faulkner University with a bachelor’s degree in English with an emphasis in journalism. Garrett, a recent graduate from Auburn University with a bachelor’s degree in graphic design, joins Copperwing as a graphic designer to design and execute collateral, branding, exhibits, presentations and other projects. Garrett is experienced in web development, concept and layout development for digital marketing and identity design. Copperwing is a creative consultancy offering design, digital media and integrated brand management services. CANDLEWOOD SUITES – EASTCHASE PARK ANNOUNCES DIRECTOR OF SALES
Deborah Lewis
MONTGOMERY – Candlewood Suites – EastChase Park has named Deborah Lewis
as director of sales. In her new role, Lewis will oversee corporate and group sales efforts at the 101-room hotel located at 9151 Boyd Cooper Parkway. “I look forward to working at such a remarkable hotel in Montgomery,” Lewis said. “As the hotel’s new director of sales, I hope to continue enhancing our relationships with our various business partners and help Montgomery understand exactly what all Candlewood Suites has to offer the business traveler.” With more than four years in the hospitality industry, Lewis most recently served as director of sales for TownePlace Suites. Lewis began her hospitality career in Montgomery after a teaching career in the Montgomery Public Schools district.
ALDRIDGE, BORDEN & CO. NAMES BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR
HOLIDAY INN EASTCHASE PROPERTY NAMES GENERAL MANGER MONTGOMERY – Lindsay Chapman has been named general Lindsay Chapman manager of Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites – EastChase Park. She will oversee the day-to-day operations of the hotel, which has 106 rooms. It is located at 9250 Boyd Cooper Parkway. “I am very proud to be the new general manager at the Holiday Inn Express Hotel & Suites,” said Chapman, who is coming from Independence, Missouri. “Our exceptional team and the City of Montgomery have been very welcoming. I look forward to leading our hotel, providing exceptional service and being a part of the community.” She has 15-plus years of experience in the hospitality industry and most recently was general manager of Staybridge Suites in Independence, Missouri.
MONTGOMERY – Rebecca H. Baker was named the Rebecca Baker director of business development and marketing for Aldridge, Borden & Co., P.C. Since joining Aldridge, Borden in 2004, Baker has provided taxation and attestation services to clients in various industries and has also been involved in the firm’s recruitment of professional staff. She is a certified public accountant. “We are very excited to have Rebecca step into the business development role for our firm,” said Rhonda Sibley, a partner at Aldridge, Borden & Co. “To have someone who has her accounting background and experience head up an accounting firm’s business development department is a rarity. Rebecca will be able to understand and analyze a potential client’s needs
and then match them with the expertise in our firm that meets those needs. She understands both sides of the equation.” Aldridge, Borden & Co. is a fullservice certified public accounting firm founded in 1918 and is located in downtown Montgomery. GOODWYN, MILLS & CAWOOD APPOINTS GRIFFITH GENERAL COUNSEL
Matthew Griffith
MONTGOMERY – Matthew Griffith has joined Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood (GMC) as
general counsel. Griffith was at Hinton & Herndon, where he worked as an associate attorney on cases in defense of civil litigation in state and federal courts throughout Alabama, focusing on medical malpractice, professional liability (engineers, architects, etc.) and environmental law. (Continued on page 72)
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(Continued from page 71)
Griffith’s arrival to the firm coincides with GMC’s expansion into the Atlanta market and addition of a federal services division. He will counsel the firm in areas of risk management, growth, human resources, insurance, corporate law and management. “We see adding the legal talent and expertise that Matt Griffith has to offer as an important measure to meet our growth goals,” said Galen Thackston, executive vice president of Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood.
Church of Montgomery. Under his leadership, The Samaritan Counseling Center has grown into one of the largest private providers of mental health services in Alabama. “I am truly humbled to have the privilege of serving the children and families of Alabama and Northwest Florida through the United Methodist Children’s Home,” Horne said. Horne holds a bachelor’s degree from Mercer University in Christianity; a master of family therapy degree from Mercer University School of Medicine; and a doctoral degree in marriage and family therapy from Florida State University. He also completed a three-year course of post-doctoral study at the Georgetown Family Center in Washington, D.C.
UNITED METHODIST CHILDREN’S HOME ANNOUNCES PRESIDENT/CEO MONTGOMERY – K. Blake Horne has been named the K. Blake Horne president/CEO of United Methodist Children’s Home.
The United Methodist Children’s Home has helped transform the lives of thousands of abused, neglected and traumatized children, young mothers and struggling families through residential group homes, foster care programs and family preservation services.
A native of Hawkinsville, Georgia, Horne has served as the executive director of The Samaritan Counseling Center since its founding in 1999 by First United Methodist
United Methodist Children’s Home Board Chair Terry McCartney said, “Dr. Horne exceeds the criteria set for this position and has the skill set and personal traits to be an inspirational leader in this ministry’s efforts to continue to meet the needs of children and families in Alabama and Northwest Florida.” HANCOCK BANK HIRES COMMERCIAL AREA MANAGER MONTGOMERY – Jim Dunklin has joined Hancock Bank as commercial Jim Dunklin area manager for Montgomery, Prattville and Greenville. Dunklin began his career as a commercial loan officer before leading the marketing efforts of a national architectural manufacturing company. Later, he owned and managed his own private commercial supply and general hardware business for 10 years. He returned to the financial services industry as a regional president, chief executive officer
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Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
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and executive regional president, respectively, for three banks in Central Alabama. “As the area manager for Hancock Bank’s Central Alabama commercial banking group, I look forward to partnering with our local bankers and customers and using my experience as a business owner and a commercial banker to help local businesses achieve their financial goals with products and services best suited to their needs,” Dunklin said. Dunklin holds a bachelor’s degree in psychology from the University of Alabama and a master’s degree in business administration from Vanderbilt University. “Jim Dunklin is uniquely qualified to manage our commercial banking business in the Central Alabama region as both a veteran financial leader and a business owner,” said Hancock Bank Alabama Regional President Robbie Baker. “He understands what it takes to run a successful business and he is a talented banker committed to serving other businesspeople in the region. We are very excited to have him join our team.”
WARREN AVERETT WILSON PRICE ADDS FAMILY OFFICE CLIENT SPECIALIST MONTGOMERY – Warren Averett Wilson Price Division Shelly Pitts announced that Shelly Pitts recently joined the firm. She is a family office client specialist with Family Office Services. She works closely with retired clients and their adult children to provide oversight and assistance with household financial matters. She also manages payroll for domestic help and caregivers. She brings a strong background in detailoriented experience to this position. Prior to joining Warren Averett Wilson Price, she was an administrative assistant with Krebbs Architecture & Engineering firm. Before that career, she was the purchasing manager for GenPak, LLC at its Montgomery plant.
Warren Averett Family Office is designed to assist executives, retired executives and the elderly with their personal financial needs by developing a customized plan that fits their specific financial situation and objectives. HAYES JOINS CENTURY 21 BRANDT WRIGHT REALTY MONTGOMERY – Spencer Hayes and Kenny Hayes Custom Homes, LLC, have joined Century 21 Brandt Wright Realty Inc. “We are thrilled to have Spencer Hayes and Kenny Hayes Custom Homes, LLC join our team,” said Brandt Wright, owner of Century 21 Brandt Wright Realty. “We believe their experience in custom home building will greatly enhance the services we provide to our customers.” Kenny Hayes Custom Homes, LLC, builds custom homes, working one-on-one with home buyers. Hayes may be contacted at (334) 495-2100. •
All your children shall be taught by the Lord, and great shall be the prosperity of your children. IsaIah 54:13 Become a part of our Catholic family and experience the values of quality, Christian education. From rigorous academics to athletics to the arts, we develop each child’s God-given gifts to their fullest potential. Enroll now by calling 334-272-7221 ext. 32, or visit www.montgomerycatholic.org.
www.montgomerycatholic.org
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
73
New Members Advertising-Outdoor
Banks
Golf Courses
Vintage Media Tim Allen 130 Forest Drive Deatsville, AL 36022 334-220-6015
Hancock Bank James H. Dunklin 4001 Carmichael Road Suite 570 Montgomery, AL 36106 334-244-7150
FarmLinks at Pursell Farms Gretchen Rudkin 2200 Farmlinks Boulevard Sylacauga, AL 35151 205-298-0001
Architects Chambless King Architects John R. Chambless P.O. Box 587 Montgomery, AL 36110 334-272-0029
Associations/ Non-Profit Hope Inspired Ministries, Inc. Michael Coleman P.O. Box 1103 Montgomery, AL 36101 334-649-4330 United Methodist Children’s Home K. Blake Horne 3140 Zelda Court Montgomery, AL 36106 334-386-5354 Ext 240
Automobile Manufacturers/ Suppliers DAS North America, Inc. James Uhm 201 County Court Montgomery, AL 36105 334-284-2574
74
Building Materials
Hotels/Motels
The Home Depot Robert J. Schoonhoven 10655 Chantilly Parkway Montgomery, AL 36117 334-260-8702
Fairfield Inn & Suites-Airport Joseph Deese 7560 Mobile Highway Montgomery, AL 36105 334-281-6882
Department Stores
Private Schools
Roses Paul Gardner 4001 Eastern Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36116 334-281-9181
Hooper Academy John Mehaffey 380 Fischer Road Hope Hull, AL 36043 334-288-5980
Electronic Equipment/ Machinery
Real Estate-Agents
Seung Kwang, LLC John Jang 5258 Norman Bridge Road Montgomery, AL 36105 334-286-1780
Entertainment & Recreation 50-50 Roberto Reed 129 Montgomery Street Montgomery, AL 36104 334-612-7755
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
Century 21 Brandt Wright Realty, Inc. Brandt Wright 1900 Berryhill Road Montgomery, AL 36117 334-495-2100
Real Estate-Broker Nest Egg Properties, LLC Millie Knight 1759 Eastern Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36117 334-207-6368
RecyclingElectronics ecovery Christopher G. Bardasian P.O. Box 571 Loxley, AL 36551 817-337-5165
Security Services Blackhawk Protection Service, LLC Maria Milojevich 111 E. Bridge Street, Suite H Wetumpka, AL 36092 334-530-9185
Tutoring Services Kumon Math and Reading Center of Montgomery-Central Diven Patel 1655 Perry Hill Road Montgomery, AL 36106 334-652-3682
Weight Loss Clinic Metabolic Research Center Diane Alpeter 5295 Vaughn Road Montgomery, AL 36116 334-887-9292
RIBBON CUTTINGS & GROUND BREAKINGS
HERE WE GROW AGAIN
Martha’s Place 7798 Atlanta Highway Montgomery, AL 36117 334-356-7165 Martha Hawkins-Manager Restaurants-Southern
Hospiscript Services, LLC 4525 Executive Park, Suite 100 Montgomery, AL 36116 334-956-7500 www.hospiscript.com Javier Gonzalez-President/CEO Benefit Administration/Benefit Broker
Hope Inspired Ministries 52 Adams Avenue Montgomery, AL 36104 334-649-4330 www.hopeinspiredministries.org Michael Coleman-Executive Director Associations/Non-Profit Community Services/Agencies
Arts Gone Wild 200 Tallapoosa Street Montgomery, AL 36104 334-271-5353 www.facebook.com/artsgonewild Geoffrey Sherman-ASF Producing Artistic Director Doug Goode-Montgomery Zoo Director Mark Johnson-Montgomery Museum Director Attractions-Arts & Culture Attractions-Museums Attractions-Children’s Activities Art Galleries Gifts & Specialty-Retail
Perry Street Flats 547 South Perry Street Montgomery, AL 36104 334-657-0296 www.fosheeresidential.com Peri Dees-Property Manager Apartments
Alabama Commercial Real Estate, LLC 321 North Hull Street Montgomery, AL 36104 334-625-8262 www.AlabamaCRE.com Julie Watson-Broker Real Estate-Commercial/Investments
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
75
Economic Intel Unemployment Data Civilian Labor Force
Unemployment Rate
Area
March p 2012
February r 2012
March r 2011
Montgomery MA
165,334
165,595
171,851
7.40%
7.80%
9.00%
24,981
25,062
26,048
6.40%
6.90%
8.20%
Autauga County Prattville City Elmore County
February r 2012
March r 2011
15,812
15,853
16,406
5.70%
6.20%
7.10%
34,573
34,640
35,916
7.00%
7.40%
8.40%
Lowndes County Montgomery County
March p 2012
4,204
4,216
4,358
15.30%
15.80%
16.50%
101,576
101,677
105,530
7.50%
7.90%
9.00% 9.00%
Montgomery City
91,413
91,443
94,991
7.40%
7.70%
Birmingham-Hoover MA
514,675
516,354
530,088
6.50%
7.10%
8.40%
87,786
88,026
90,885
8.60%
9.10%
10.90%
206,747
206,645
214,584
6.30%
6.80%
7.60%
88,802
88,597
92,012
6.40%
6.70%
7.50%
188,369
187,935
192,335
8.40%
8.80%
10.10%
87,905
87,559
89,879
8.70%
8.90%
10.50%
Birmingham City Huntsville MA Huntsville City Mobile MA Mobile City Alabama United States
2,130,075
2,127,844
2,188,471
7.30%
7.90%
9.10%
154,316,000
154,114,000
153,022,000
8.40%
8.70%
9.20%
MA=Metropolitan Area. pPreliminary rRevised Estimates prepared by the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations in Cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, based on 2010 benchmark.
Sales Tax Collections APRIL 2012
APRIL 2011
Montgomery County
$3,551,826
$3,422,170
City of Montgomery
$7,911,439 $156,351
Pike Road Autauga County Prattville
Year over Year % Change
YTD 2012
YTD 2011
3.79%
$13,642,926
$13,203,003
$7,691,655
2.86%
$31,108,304
$30,388,624
2.37%
$121,109
29.10%
$622,550
$504,520
23.39%
3.33%
$642,043
$600,738
6.88%
$2,558,470
$2,405,411
6.36%
$1,750,271
$1,266,904
38.15%
$6,947,016
$5,031,465
38.07%
Elmore County
$459,085
$433,747
5.84%
$1,706,053
$1,654,547
3.11%
Wetumpka
$511,408
$471,588
8.44%
$1,893,056
$1,817,713
4.14%
Sources: Montgomery County Commission, City of Montgomery, City of Pike Road, Autauga County Commission, City of Prattville, Elmore County Commission, City of Wetumpka, City of Millbrook Note: YTD numbers are January 2012 thru current month. * Did not receive this months numbers.
76
Year over Year % Change
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
Montgomery Regional Airport APRIL 2012 Air Carrier Operations
APRIL 2011
932
Year over Year % Change
YTD 2012
YTD 2011
3,793
3,874
-2.1%
980
-4.9%
5,345
5,733
-6.8%
21,323
21,944
-2.8%
14,865
14,445
2.9%
56,543
55,757
1.4%
Total Operations Enplanements
Year over Year % Change
Deplanements
15,061
14,601
3.2%
58,045
55,721
4.2%
Total Passengers
29,926
29,046
3.0%
114,588
111,478
2.8%
Source: Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM) Dannelly Field
Airline Fares
Hyundai Sales
Roundtrip airfare comparisons from Montgomery, Birmingham and Atlanta airports to key destinations.
VEHICLE
APR 2012
APR 2011
YTD 2012
YTD 2011
Accent
6,160
4,390
24,644
18,877
Montgomery
Birmingham
Atlanta
Sonata
20,521
21,738
75,716
73,616
Baltimore (BWI)
$421
$290
$358
Elantra
16,836
22,100
61,237
63,303
Boston (BOS)
$440
$422
$297
Santa Fe
6,318
5,771
20,853
20,163
Charlotte, NC (CLT)
$208
$203
$256
Azera
953
191
1,112
713
Chicago (ORD)
$363
$222
$279
Tucson
3,909
4,055
14,958
14,768
Cincinnati (CVG)
$412
$405
$258
Veloster
3,192
N/A
11,973
N/A
Dallas/Ft Worth (QDF)
$408
$342
$240
Veracruz
Denver (DEN)
$430
$413
$289
Genesis
Detroit (DTW)
$508
$379
$245
Equus
Houston (HOU)
$421
$345
$305
Total
Indianapolis (IND)
$420
$408
$220
Las Vegas (LAS)
$565
$449
$393
Los Angeles (LAX)
$513
$467
$360
Memphis (MEM)
$389
$393
$203
Miami (MIA)
$420
$374
$250
Nashville (BNA)
$392
$195
$381
New Orleans (MSY)
$241
$212
$238
New York (JFK)
$431
$339
$261
Orlando (MCO)
$336
$208
$302
Philadelphia (PHL)
$440
$271
$266
Pittsburgh (PIT)
$433
$406
$242
St Louis (STL)
$277
$220
$222
Destination
Seattle (SEA)
$541
$496
$391
$2,155
$2,023
$1,860
Tampa (TPA)
$400
$218
$302
Washington DC (DCA)
$420
$252
$248
Seoul, Korea (SEL)
476
639
2,285
2,448
3,548
2,648
11,780
9,536
351
222
1,279
950
62,264
61,754
225,837
204,374
Source: Hyundai Motor America
Date of travel: July 10-15, 2012. Date of pricing: May 13, 2012. Source: travelocity.com
Montgomery Metro Market Home Sales Month/Month % Change
MARCH 2011
$118,250
1.61%
$131,512
-1.10%
2,738
2.67%
13
-13.85%
MARCH 2012
FEBRUARY 2012
Median Price
$120,150
Average Price
$130,070
Units Listed
2,811
Months of Supply
11.2
Year/Year % Change
Statewide MARCH 2012
$120,500
-0.29%
$118,280
$142,311
-8.60%
$141,005
3,183
-11.69%
33,784
14.7
-23.81%
10
Total # Sales
251
210
19.52%
216
16.20%
3,374
Days on Market
109
105
3.81%
121
-9.92%
161
Source: Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE), The University of Alabama
June/July/August 2012 Montgomery Business Journal
77
Quarterly Reports QUARTERLY REVENUES
NET INCOME
EARNINGS PER SHARE
EARNINGS ESTIMATE
YEAR-AGO REVENUES
YEAR-AGO NET INCOME
$21.6B
$4.2B
$0.75
$0.73
$20.3B
$3.8B
13 straight quarters of revenue growth
N/A
$8.2M
$1.37
N/A
N/A
$4.9M
Profit surged 67%
$3.6B
$134.1M
$1.32
$1.20
$3.5B
$156M
Profit declined 14%
STERIS Corp.
$374.9M
$34.3M
$0.59
N/A
$377.8M
$36.4M
Revenue fell 1%
The Wendy’s Co.
$593.2M
$12.4M
$0.03
$0.03
$582.5M
(-$1.4M)
Introduced new products; renovating restaurants
$4.2B
$154M
$0.63
$0.63
$4.1B
$201M
Profit dropped 23%
N/A
$6M
$0.24
N/A
N/A
$5.8M
Grew loans for third consecutive quarter
Southern Co.
$3.6B
$368M
$0.42
$0.45
$4B
$422M
Unusally warm weather impacts revenue, earnings
International Paper
$6.7B
$192M
$0.43
$0.50
$6.4B
$285M
Profit declined 33%
OSI Restaurant Partners
$1.1B
$61.2M
N/A
N/A
$1B
$49.4M
Named new chief financial officer
$1B
(-$8M)
(-$0.08)
$0.04
$1B
$35.1M
Plans to open 50 stores in Mexico this year
Dillard’s
$1.6B
$95M
$1.89
N/A
$1.5B
$76.7M
Comparable store sales rose 5%
NAME Wells Fargo ServisFirst Bancshares Lear Corp.
Kohl’s Renasant Corp.
(Outback Steakhouse, Bonefish Grill)
RadioShack
Target
$16.9B
$697M
$1.04
$1.02
$15.9B
$689M
Sales rose 6.1%
JC Penney
$3.1B
(-$163M)
(-$0.75)
(-$0.08)
$3.9B
$64M
Revenue fell 20%; suspended dividend
Chico’s FAS
$650.8M
$53.6M
$0.32
$0.30
$537.2M
$45.9M
Revenue jumped 21%
Home Depot
$17.8B
$1B
$0.68
$0.85
$16.8B
$812M
Profit increased 28%
Dick’s Sporting Goods
$1.3B
$57.2M
$0.45
$0.38
$1.1B
$37.5M
Proft jumped 53%
TJX Companies (T.J. Maxx)
$5.8B
$419.2M
$0.55
$0.54
$5.2B
$266M
Revenue at stores open at least one year up 8%
Abercrombie & Fitch
$921.2M
$3M
$0.03
$0.02
$836.7M
$25.1M
Profit declined 88%
Red Robin Gourmet Burgers
$299.5M
$10.6M
$0.71
$0.66
$286.8M
$8.7M
Average guest check increased 4.1%
The Buckle
$263.3M
$37.8M
$0.79
$0.76
$240.1M
$33.5M
Online sales rose 15%
Cato Corp.
$275.3M
$31.7M
$1.09
N/A
$273.7M
$30.5M
Costs and expenses were reduced about $2.1M
GameStop
$2B
$72.5M
$0.54
$0.54
$2.3B
$80.4M
Sales fell 12%
Ross Stores
$2.4B
$208.6M
$0.93
$0.93
$2.1B
$173M
Revenue at stores open at least one year up 9%
Advance Auto Parts
$2B
$133.5M
$1.79
$1.81
$1.9B
$109.6M
Will repurchase $500M of its own stock
Sears Holdings Corp.
$9.3B
$189M
$1.78
(-$0.67)
$9.5B
(-$170M)
Gained $233M on sale of stores and leasehold interest
Dollar Tree
$1.7B
$116.1M
$1.00
$0.97
$1.6B
$101M
Profit rose 15%
$112.3B
$3.7B
$1.09
$1.04
$103.4B
$3.4B
Profit jumped 10.!%
$2.1B
$124.6M
$0.41
$0.41
$2.2B
$165.2M
Interest payments increased 42% to $77.8M
$303.4M
$11.8M
$0.27
$0.30
$303.5M
$15.9M
Profit fell 26%
Gap (Old Navy, Banana Republic)
$3.5B
$233M
$0.47
$0.46
$3.3B
$233M
Revenue increased 6%
Lowe’s Companies
$13.2B
$527M
$0.43
$0.42
$12.2B
$461M
Lowered earnings forecast for full year
Foot Locker
$1.6B
$128M
$0.83
$0.74
$1.5B
$94M
Profit surged 36%
Ann Taylor
$560.4M
$28.7M
$0.58
$0.51
$523.6M
$27.3M
Loft sales increased 11%
Kirkland’s
$97.8M
$2M
$0.10
$0.09
$94.4M
$3.2M
Profit declined 38%
Hibbett Sporting Goods
$232.9M
$26.4M
$0.98
$0.92
$203.3M
$21.3M
Profit jumped 24%
Pacific Sunwear of California
$173.8M
(-$15.6M)
(-$0.23)
N/A
$171.9M
(-$28.7M)
Wal-Mart Stores Limited Brands (Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works)
Stein Mart
78
NOTABLE
Montgomery Business Journal June/July/August 2012
Will offer higher-priced Nike Signature items
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