JAN 2024
OUR ANNUAL
15 LEGISLATIVE GUIDE
34 HUDSONALPHA BOOSTS CROP YIELDS SPOTLIGHT ON
47 AUTAUGA AND
ELMORE COUNTIES
MOVING MOBILE FORWARD MAYOR SANDY STIMPSON LEADS ALABAMA’S PORT CITY
Page 10
Volume 39 / Number 1
JANUARY 2024
CONTENTS
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Walton Foster (left) and Jen Dent lead Chalker Group, recruiting specialized talent for demanding Alabama jobs. Photo by Art Meripol.
Features 10
GOVERNMENT MOVING MOBILE FORWARD Alabama’s Port City has grown and thrived during the administration of Mayor Sandy Stimpson.
31
ALABAMA STOCKS MARKET WATCH Markets traveled a tough road, despite easing inflation.
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AGRICULTURE GROW MORE, GROW BETTER HudsonAlpha’s genetic recipe for a new breed of Alabama farm crops.
2 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
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43
66
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT MOVING THE NEEDLE IN THE HIRING PROCESS Birmingham’s Chalker Group recruits superior talent to Alabama. JOB SEEKER, MEET JOB Onin is all-in when it comes to workforce development and helping people find jobs. RETROSPECT WORKING ON THE RAILROAD Charles T. Pollard was Alabama’s train pioneer.
On the Cover: Sandy Stimpson, mayor of Mobile, is in his third term. He has helped turn around the city’s finances, expand its boundaries and kick start major projects that will continue the city’s forward momentum. Photo by Bill Starling.
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34: HudsonAlpha’s new Kathy L. Chan Greenhouse provides space for scientists to research crops with a higher yield of better products. 43: Hugh Thomas is managing partner at Onin Group, helping jobseekers find jobs and employers find able workers. Photo by Cary Norton.
Departments
ALABAMA’S LEGISLATIVE GUIDE 15 ALABAMA’S CONSTITUTIONAL OFFICERS 16 ALABAMA’S CONGRESSIONAL MEMBERS 17 STATE SENATORS 20 STATE REPRESENTATIVES
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SPECIAL SECTIONS 27 BUSINESS COUNCIL OF ALABAMA GEOGRAPHIC SPOTLIGHT 47 AUTAUGA & ELMORE COUNTIES
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BENCHMARKS: MONTHLY BUSINESS NEWS BRIEFING 65 COMPANY KUDOS: A MONTH OF ACHIEVEMENTS 68 CAREER NOTES: WHO’S MOVING UP 69 BA INDEX: HUNDREDS OF LEADS EACH MONTH 71 HISTORIC ALABAMA: A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE 71 ALABIZ QUIZ: TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 3
JANUARY 2024 BusinessAlabama.com Volume 39 / Number 1
PUBLISHER Walker Sorrell / wsorrell@pmtpublishing.com ASSISTANT PUBLISHER Stephen Potts / snpotts@pmtpublishing.com EXECUTIVE EDITOR Alec Harvey / alec@pmtpublishing.com EDITOR Erica Joiner West / ewest@pmtpublishing.com COPY EDITOR Nedra Bloom / nedra@pmtpublishing.com ART DIRECTOR Vic Wheeler / ads@pmtpublishing.com DIGITAL EDITOR Kathryn Dorlon / kdorlon@pmtpublishing.com ACCOUNTING Keith Crabtree / acct@pmtpublishing.com ACCOUNT EXECUTIVES Birmingham: 205-802-6363 Hal Cain / Ext. 111 / hcain@pmtpublishing.com Lee Mills / Ext. 102 / lmills@pmtpublishing.com Mobile: 251-473-6269 Joe Hyland / Ext. 214 / jhyland@pmtpublishing.com DIRECTOR OF INTEGRATED MEDIA & EVENTS Sheila Wardy / swardy@pmtpublishing.com BIRMINGHAM OFFICE 3324 Independence Drive / Homewood, AL 35209 205-802-6363 MOBILE OFFICE 166 Government Street / Mobile, AL 36602 251-473-6269 CORPORATE T.J. Potts, President & CEO Thomas E. McMillan, Partner & Director Business Alabama is published monthly by
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Benchmarks
Nucor plans $280M expansion in Tuscaloosa
NUCOR STEEL TUSCALOOSA has
Nucor produces steel plate in Tuscaloosa.
announced plans for a $280 million expansion of its plate mill. The project will expand current production lines and add a new product line to the company’s steel coil and plate offerings. “The investment at the rolling mill at Tuscaloosa is important to keep our mill competitive in the global steel industry and open up new market opportunities for our team,” said Brian Phillippi, vice president and general manager of Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa. The expansion is expected to be fully operational by the summer of 2027. The company explained Tuscaloosa’s role this way: “Comprised of three production facilities located in Hertford County, North Carolina, Brandenburg, Kentucky, and Tuscaloosa, Alabama, Nucor’s Plate Mill Group has an annual capacity of approximately 3 million tons of cut-to-length and discrete plate. Nucor produces plate for military applications and for manufacturers of barges, bridges, heavy equipment, rail cars, refinery tanks, ships, wind towers and other items that are primarily used in the pipe and tube, pressure vessel, transportation and construction industries.”
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WAGE HIKE Workers at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama and other Hyundai locations are in line for wage hikes of 25% over the next three years, the company announced recently.
to form the Coastal Business Alliance. The chambers are the Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce, Mobile Chamber, North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce, Saraland Chamber and the Southwest Mobile County Chamber.
MIELE TO OPELIKA German appliance maker Miele has announced plans for a new plant in Opelika. The company expects to hire 150 people in its first year, then add several hundred more positions. TEAMING FOR BUSINESS Six chambers of commerce are teaming with Coastal 150
CHARGE IT Mercedes-Benz and Buc-ee’s are teaming to add EV charging stations at Buc-ee locations. The project is under way and should be complete by the end of 2024.
“It’s great news that Nucor is making a significant re‐investment in its facility in Tuscaloosa because this commitment solidifies the site’s future and the high‐paying jobs of over 400 workers,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce at the time of the Nucor announcement. “This is an important win for the community and for the entire state.” The Tuscaloosa County Industrial Development Authority, which does business as the Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority, approved a tax abatement package as part of an investment by Nucor. The tax savings support the retention of more than 400 high-paying jobs at the Tuscaloosa County facility and the generation of new revenue for local vendors and state and local tax bases.
ADTRAN ABROAD To help avoid supply chain tangles, Huntsville-based Adtran is opening a factory in Meiningen, Germany. The site will focus on Adtran’s optical transport technology. NEW AT THE TOP Ted Wilke has been named president of SPOC, an innovator of power conversion technology based in Birmingham. Paul Kavinoky will be the new president of the Alabama Mining Association. He succeeds Patrick Cagle, who is stepping down to pursue a career in ministry.
WARM FUZZIES Alabama Power has been named No. 1 for large electric utility business customer satisfaction in the South region, according to the J.D. Power 2023 Electric Utility Business Customer Satisfaction Survey. The survey measures customer satisfaction among 79 U.S. electric utilities. CONSTRUCTION KUDOS Alabama ranks 8th in the U.S. for construction, according to the Associated Builders and Contractors’ Merit Shop Scorecard, which looks at policies that strengthen career
January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 5
BENCHMARKS
South breaks ground for new medical school building a time when the nation faces an expected shortage of health care providers, the university notes. “This is an investment in the future of health care to meet the needs of Alabamians,” said Dr. John Marymont, dean of the Whiddon College of Medicine and vice president for medical affairs. “By national metrics, this medical school produces highquality physicians that stay in the state, helping meet the needs in primary care as well as in rural and underserved areas at an affordable cost.” Announcing the new facility, the university noted, “The Whiddon College of Medicine at the University of South Alabama is one of 158 accredited MD-granting institutions in the United Ground was broken in early December for a new medical school States and one of only two in the state. More than 1,139 of its building at the UNIVERSITY OF SOUTH ALABAMA. University officials teamed with Gov. Kay Ivey and other state and local digni- graduates are practicing medicine in Alabama. According to the Association of American Medical Colleges, the USA consistently taries to turn over the ceremonial shovelfuls of dirt. ranks in the top tier nationally for graduates practicing in The $200 million project will create a 250,000-square-foot underserved areas.” Frederick P. Whiddon College of Medicine building, set to open Funding for the new building comes from a variety of sources in 2026. The new building, along with the colleges of nursing and — $60 million earmarked in the federal budget by former allied health professions, the health simulations building and the Sen. Richard Shelby; $50 million from the State of Alabama; biomedical library, will comprise a 500,000-square-foot section $30 million from the USA Foundation; $10 million from the of the Mobile campus dedicated to health care education and City of Mobile; $5 million from Mobile County and major gifts research. from Alabama Power, The Caring Foundation of Blue Cross and “This facility will offer our future students the most advanced Blue Shield of Alabama, the Bedsole Foundation and the Daniel learning and research opportunities anywhere in the country,” Foundation, among others. said USA President Jo Bonner. “It will transform medicine to the Frederick Whiddon, for whom the building is named, was the unique needs of our community while educating and training the founding president of the University of South Alabama in 1963. next generation of providers.” Almost immediately, he said that the university should have a The new building also allows the university to increase the medical school, and the first class was admitted to the USA Colnumber of first-year medical students from 80 to 100 with the lege of Medicine in 1973. option of increasing to 120 in the future. The increase comes at Rendering of the $200 million medical school building.
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pathways in construction and workforce development, among other things. Georgia topped the list, followed by Florida.
integration lab at its Huntsville campus. The lab will do work on the Next Generation Interceptor for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. Blue Origin is starting its third expansion of its Huntsville facilities in three years, an $8.4 million project. Fite Construction is contractor for the project. Birmingham’s Apex Roofing & Restoration is expanding to Colorado, opening offices in Denver and Aurora. MAAS Aviation is planning a $1.6 million expansion at its site alongside Airbus in Mobile, adding two painting hangars for a total of 5 and adding jigs and tooling. Reli Title has opened a new office in Alexander City, to help meet the
NEW MANAGEMENT Tanger Inc. has purchased Huntsville’s Bridge Street Town Centre for $193.5 million. The mall boasts a 93% occupancy rate. BIGGER & BETTER BioCryst Pharmaceuticals, which is planning a $22 million expansion project to add lab space, has been awarded $1.8 million in tax breaks by the Hoover City Council. Lockheed Martin has opened a $16.5 million missile defense
6 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
demand for lakefront real estate services. HIGH MARKS FOR MOBILE Mobile is on Conde Nast Traveler’s list of 24 Places to Go in 2024. The magazine cited Amtrak service resuming, The Admiral Hotel reopening and the Clotilda Exhibition and new Civil Rights and Cultural Heritage District as reasons to visit Mobile. VISITING HISTORY The 16th Street Baptist Church, site of the 1963 bombing that killed four girls, is planning a multi-purpose visitor and educational center building. Birmingham-based
CCR Architecture has designed a 13,000-square-foot facility that will be adjacent to the church parsonage and sanctuary. ECO GULF A $13.4 million grant from the Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council will go toward a planned Gulf Coast Eco Center in Gulf Shores. The center, which will include a farm and garden complex, bicycle hub, wetland lab, event space and more, is set to open in summer 2024. PIER PRESSURE Gulf State Park pier has closed for renovations, a project to fix what Hurricane Sally blew away in 2020. M.D. Thomas
BENCHMARKS
Owa adding $50M hotel near Tropic Falls The Poarch Band of Creek Indians is adding to its OWA PARKS & RESORT IN FOLEY. A $50 million resort-style hotel will be added on the northeast side of the Tropic Falls waterpark, with opening planned for May 2025. Dale Partners, an architecture firm based in Mississippi, is designing the tropicalinspired, multi-story hotel, while Auburnbased Rabren General Contractors will oversee construction. “This new hotel will give guests another Vision for the new hotel. option to relax in Coastal Alabama, while still enjoying all the fun amenities that Owa has to offer,” said Cody Williamson, president and CEO of Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority. “We continue to focus on these types of investment projects, which enable us to remain a strong economic partner for the local tourism industry and the state of Alabama.” The hotel rooms will feature a kitchenette and workspace, along with optional bunk-bed spaces for larger families. Other key resort amenities will include an outdoor resort-style pool with a bar and grill, 24-hour fitness center, meeting space, lounge, convenience store and arcade. The new hotel is the latest development in Owa. In early 2023, Owa opened Tropic Falls, the only indoor waterpark in the U.S., a $70 million expansion to the resort that hosts restaurants, entertainment venues and retail establishments.
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Construction, headquartered in Orange Beach, is leading the effort. The pier is expected to reopen in summer 2024.
MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS Montgomery-based Hartzell Engine Technologies has acquired Kelly Aero, also based in Montgomery. Florencebased fireworks distributor TNT Fireworks has acquired American Fireworks, located in Bastrop, Texas.
STEEL KEEL A keel-laying ceremony marked the official start of construction of Austal USA’s first steel ship. The future USNS Billy Frank Jr. is being constructed for the U.S. Navy. ENVIVA & EPES Wood pellet maker Enviva saw its stock shares plummet 80% in two days after the company announced an $85.2 million loss, but plans are still in place to build a $375 million facility in Epes in Sumter County.
WORK PREP Lauderdale County officials broke ground on a $26 million Workforce Development Center in Florence in midNovember. ABILITY SPACE United Ability opened its Limitless Learning Library and Studio Apartment in
Birmingham in November, designed and built at no cost by Goodwyn Mills and Cawood Architects. BI OPS IN FLORENCE Bank Independent broke ground in mid-November on a new operations center in Muscle Shoals. CONTRACTS Forestwood Farm in Birmingham has been awarded a $184.6 million, five-year contract to provide fruits and vegetables to U.S. Department of Agriculture schools. Leidos has been awarded a $32 million contract for work on defense radar systems,
with plans for the work to be performed at Dynetics, its subsidiary in Huntsville. Selmabased American Apparel has been awarded a five-year, $31.7 million contract to manufacture men’s all-weather coats for the Air Force and the Coast Guard. Huntsville-based MartinFed has been awarded a $10 million task order for support to Army Materiel Command headquarters. The award is through Canvas Inc.’s Business and Analytical Express Blanket Purchase Agreement. LABOR REBUKES Jennings Professional Services in Montgomery and Urban Air Trussville each violated the Fair
January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 7
BENCHMARKS
Introducing the 2024 Business Alabama Award finalists Forty businesses, business people and projects have been selected as finalists for the 2024 BUSINESS ALABAMA AWARDS. After taking nominations from the public, we chose finalists in seven categories. Five Lifetime Achievement winners will also be announced in January, and they will be honored, along with winners of the award categories, at a ceremony in Birmingham on March 1, 2024. The finalists for the Business Alabama Awards are: CEO OF THE YEAR › Elliot B. Maisel – Gulf Distributing Holdings, Mobile › Bridget McCaleb – Sentar, Huntsville › Tom Stanton – Adtran, Huntsville › Ray Watts – University of Alabama at Birmingham, Birmingham › Haig Wright II – Byars|Wright, Jasper BEST COMPANY – LARGE (300 EMPLOYEES OR MORE) › Austal USA, Mobile › BL Harbert International, Birmingham › HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology, Huntsville › HPM, Birmingham › Regions Financial, Birmingham BEST COMPANY – SMALL › David Christopher, Sheffield › Emily’s Heirloom Pound Cakes, Birmingham › Essnova Solutions, Birmingham › Thomas Accounting and Income Tax Service, Selma › Vanguard Pacific, Foley
EXPAT OF THE YEAR › Lloyd Austin, U.S. secretary of defense › Noopur Davis, executive vice president, Comcast › Jo Ann Jenkins, CEO of AARP › Dr. Jeanne Marrazzo, director of the National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases › Willie Phillips, acting chairman of the Federal Energy Regulatory Commission BEST PHILANTHROPIC PROJECT › Alabama Power Foundation, Birmingham › Bank Independent Life Without Limits Half Marathon, Florence › Huntsville Hospital Foundation’s Huntsville Classic, Huntsville › Full Moon BBQ’s Backpack Blessings, Birmingham › Redstone Federal Credit Union donation to Boys & Girls Clubs of North Alabama, Huntsville
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Labor Standards Act, according to the U.S. Department of Labor. The Montgomery company misclassified some employees as independent contractors, and the Trussville business violated child labor laws, the department said.
American School Counselor Association. She is the first person from Alabama to receive that national recognition.
SO LONG Baxter Healthcare Corp. in Opelika will close, laying off 459 employees. The medical device manufacturer had been given about $3.3 million in state and local government incentives. KUDOS Diana Virgil, school counselor at Daleville High School, has been named 2024 School Counselor of the Year by the
PROTON DEPARTURE The University of Alabama at Birmingham’s $50 million Proton International Center is closing for what the university says is center partner Proton International’s “inability to make payments” to various entities. The cancer treatment center opened in 2020. TEE IT UP Alabama State University has broken ground on what it says is one of the first golf clubhouses at a Historically Black College or University. The facility will be
8 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
BEST STARTUP › AI-Ops, Mobile › Cahaba Fire Company, Birmingham › Croux, Birmingham › Domestique Coffee, Birmingham › VivoSphere, Auburn PROJECT OF THE YEAR › Aerojet Rocketdyne expansion, Huntsville › Cerrowire expansion, Hartselle › City Walk BHAM, Birmingham › New Discovery Life Sciences global headquarters, Huntsville › Hyundai Genesis, Montgomery › Montgomery Whitewater, Montgomery › Nextec, Birmingham › OWA Tropic Falls addition, Foley › USA Health purchase of Providence Hospital, Mobile › Wicker Point Golf Club at Russell Lands, Alexander City
on the school’s Montgomery campus near the Houston Markham Complex. BRIDGE IT Tuscaloosa has opened a new pedestrian bridge designed to connect downtown and the future Saban Center to ParkerHaun Park. The bridge is in Tuscaloosa’s riverfront district. LOGISTICS SPACE Averitt, a Tennessee-based freight transporter and supply chain manager, has opened a new warehouse and new crossdock space in South Alabama Logistics Park in Mobile.
TUSCALOOSA PARK GROWING Tuscaloosa officials broke ground in December for improvements at Snow Hinton Park. Adding a walking path and central plaza, plus safety improvements represents a $10.2 million investment by Elevate Tuscaloosa. CORRECTION Stacey White, CEO of Arab Electric Cooperative, is a member of the Arab Chamber of Commerce and the Arab Education Foundation. The organizations were misidentified in her biography in our November issue.
BENCHMARKS
State plans $30M workforce training center for EVs in Decatur A $30 million workforce training center planned for Decatur will focus on electric vehicles and emerging technologies. The new facility will be on the campus of the ALABAMA ROBOTICS TECHNOLOGY PARK, a $73 million center operated by AIDT. “Alabama is already a recognized leader in workforce development, and this training center concentrating on EVs and new technologies will add an important dimension to our capabilities,” Gov. Kay Ivey said in announcing the center. “This investment shows that we’re fully committed to making Alabama an even greater force in the global auto industry in the future.” The new center will share a campus with the Design work has begun on the 40,000-square-foot state’s Robotics Technology Park. facility, and it is expected to be operational in 18 to 24 months, said Ed Castile, AIDT director and deputy secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. of what we do at Robotics Park,” he said. “We just want to make sure we have workforce that has the Montgomery-based Goodwyn Mills and Cawood is designing ability to thrive in this new environment, so it’s a natural extension the training center.
January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 9
GOVERNMENT
MOVING MOBILE FORWARD Alabama’s Port City has grown and thrived during the administration of Mayor Sandy Stimpson
B
By ALEC HARVEY — Photo by BILL STARLING
radley Byrne was a bit Mayor Sandy Stimpson says surprised a little more successes during his decade in than a decade ago office have been a team effort. when his friend, businessman Sandy Stimpson, talked to him about Mobile’s 2013 election. “He called me up about a year before and said, ‘I think I’m being called to run for mayor,’” recalls Byrne, president and CEO of the Mobile Chamber. “I said, ‘Well, I think that’s crazy, but if you’re crazy enough to do it, I’m crazy enough to support you.’” Stimpson surprised Byrne and others when he won that 2013 election against a popular incumbent, Sam Jones. And then came another surprise. “While we knew he was going to be a good mayor, we had no idea he was going to be this good, a truly great mayor,” Byrne says. “We’re just blessed to have had him this last almost 12 years.” That’s a common refrain development on Mobile’s riverfront. among supporters of StimpSome have even gone so far to say son, now in his third term as mayor of Stimpson saved Mobile, though he disAlabama’s second-largest city. During his misses that notion. administration, Mobile’s finances have “I think that things are going well, turned around, recent annexation has but Sandy Stimpson didn’t save Mobile,” made the city larger, and major projects he says. “We’ve been able to build upon such as moving Mobile’s commercial a couple of decades of people laying the airport to downtown and building a groundwork. Mobile was kind of known much-needed bridge across the Mobile as the city of perpetual potential, and River are coming to fruition. Most recentwhen I look at the energy (former mayor) ly, Stimpson announced a $100 million
10 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
Mike Dow had and the things Sam Jones did and then what the Chamber of Commerce did, we were just somewhat at the right place at the right time.” BUSINESS BACKGROUND
When Stimpson ran for mayor in 2013, he brought with him a nearly 40-year career in his family’s lumber manufacturing business, a background that came in handy leading a city that was struggling financially in the wake of the recession. “My business background helped me and our team make some decisions that I think have been beneficial,” says Stimpson, pointing to reducing debt by about $150 million, fully funding police and fire pension plans by 2026 and, by 2030, Mobile being out of debt. “We’ve been able to generate an operating surplus nine of the 10 years so far that I’ve been here.” Shoring up Mobile’s finances laid the groundwork for what was to come, Byrne says. “Once they got the city in a better position financially, that opened a whole lot of doors,” he says. “There was a lot he couldn’t do in the beginning because the money wasn’t there.” But a couple of years into the Stimpson administration, Mobile approved a penny sales tax to be directed toward capi-
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“All across the city, people started seeing these projects. It started changing attitudes, I think, and people feel like someone cared about their district. That had a lot to do with buy-in to what Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson talks with Deputy City Attorney Suntrease Williams-Maynard.
tal improvement projects, and with the money raised from that, infrastructure, parks, paving, drainage and other projects were completed around Mobile. “All across the city, people started seeing these projects,” Stimpson says. “It started changing attitudes, I think, and people feel like someone cared about their district. That had a lot to do with buy-in to what we were doing.” BUILDING BRIDGES
With that as a foundation, more followed, with very visible projects like the annexation vote, the relocation of the airport from West Mobile to the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley downtown and more. It’s a “golden era” for opportunity in Mobile, Stimpson says. “Between now and the end of 2025, these are the things that will happen,” he says. “The channel going into the Gulf of Mexico will be widened and deepened, and it will be the deepest channel in the Gulf of Mexico for ship traffic. We will have completed the current phase of the container port…. Airbus will have completed the third Final Assembly Line, setting in motion them doubling the
we were doing.” — Mobile Mayor Sandy Stimpson
THE STIMPSON FILE Born in Mobile in 1952. He is 71 years old. ____________________
Graduate of University Military School (now UMS-Wright) and the University of Alabama. ____________________
He and his wife, Jean, have four children and 14 grandchildren. ____________________
First elected mayor in 2013. Won re-election in 2017 and 2021.
production of aircraft from 10 a month to 20 a month. And by the end of 2025, we will be flying commercial flights out of the new airport.” And then there’s the bridge, which will be the catalyst to maximize the benefit of everything Stimpson just listed. “We’ve got to be able to move traffic up and down I-10 without it being a bother, and that’s why we are grateful to Gov. Ivey for keeping it a No. 1 priority,”
Stimpson says. “There will be several billion dollars invested by the time you look at the money being spent at the port, the money spent at the airport, the money being spent by Airbus and Austal,” he adds. “All these balls are in the air, but it comes down to infrastructure, and the infrastructure has got to work to maximize the potential for all of them.… We’re on track now. There are a few more hurdles to cross on the bridge project, but if those hurdles are crossed, then by September of 2024, we can actually see construction begin.” It all adds up to huge momentum in Alabama’s Port City. “I’ve got small quibbles with decisions he’s made here and there, but overall, I’ve said publicly and privately numerous times I think he’s the best mayor of a city this size that I’ve ever seen in my life,” says Quin Hillyer, former chief editorial writer for the Mobile Register and now deputy commentary editor for the Washington Examiner. “He has just on every level improved the service, the responsiveness, the ambition of city government to systematically address the needs of the city.” January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 11
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SOME OPPOSITION
That doesn’t mean Stimpson has no opposition. Annexation was voted down before it finally passed, he has struggled to get the Black voters to vote for him, and some other changes his administration has pushed have been a “heavy, heavy lift,” according to the mayor. “Part of it comes from needing a super majority, 5 out of 7 votes on the city council to pass anything, but part of it is some people aren’t out there embracing change,” he says. “I feel the changes we have made have been for the better.” Repeated efforts to reach those who opposed Stimpson in elections or on specific issues to comment for this story were unsuccessful. And Stimpson’s supporters say there just isn’t a lot of organized opposition out there, even when it comes to race, a longstanding subtext in Mobile, as in other cities. “I do think that in a lot of ways, Sandy Stimpson has lessened racial political divides in Mobile,” Hillyer says. “The city
council seems more cordial and united than any that I’ve seen in 25 years. Not to say they agree with each other on everything, but there seems to be more of a sense of common purpose and certainly more of a sense of common purpose that supersedes race. And I think that’s a tremendous accomplishment.” Jo Bonner, president of the University of South Alabama, says that it has been a goal of Stimpson’s from his first election to bring Mobile together. “He really wants to be a unifier,” he says, pointing to Stimpson’s One Mobile platform. “He has worked his heart out to serve all of the community.… I think people see his goodness, and they see his heart.” THE FUTURE IS BRIGHT
Bonner thinks the best may be yet to come for Stimpson and Mobile. “I know what’s on the horizon for Mobile,” he says. “There’s not another city in the state, and very few in the nation, that
have as much momentum going for them.” A lot of that has to do with Stimpson, Bonner adds. “He’s really one of the most impactful, visionary and successful leaders this part of the state has ever produced,” he says. “I’m pretty biased we have the best mayor in America.” And Stimpson indicates he’d like to stick around to finish some things he has started. There are the airport and the bridge, as well as a major renovation of the Mobile Civic Center that’s in its initial stages, with construction possibly starting within a couple of years. “I would like to get the Civic Center done, and I’d like to make sure the bridge is under construction,” Stimpson says. “I also would like to see us have made significant progress in the area of affordable and attainable housing. Like so many cities, housing is one of the greatest challenges that we have, so making sure we’re headed in the right direction so we can execute in a better fashion the construction of homes is crucial.” All of that to say Stimpson is leaning toward a fourth run for mayor in 2025. “Unless I say I’m not running, you need to assume I am,” he says. “I’m going to work hard the next year, and then I’ll have to make that decision.” Right now, Stimpson is just pleased his city seems to be heading in the right direction. “I’m glad to be a part of it, but I’m not going to try to take a victory lap,” he says. “There’s still too much left to be done.” And that will be done by a team of people, not just Sandy Stimpson, the mayor says. “One of my ongoing prayers is that God continues to send the people and the resources to the city of Mobile to transform it into the city He wants it to be,” Stimpson says. “We have a lot of the right people in the right places. The chemistry’s right, and now we just need to continue to make it happen.” Alec Harvey is executive editor of Business Alabama. He is based in the Birmingham office. Bill Starling is a Mobile-based freelance contributor.
12 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 13
GOVERNMENT
Alabama’s Constitutional Officers GOVERNOR KAY IVEY
LIEUTENANT GOV. WILL AINSWORTH
State Capitol
11 S. Union St. # 725
600 Dexter Ave.
Montgomery, AL 36130
Montgomery, AL 36130
334-261-9590
334-242-7100
ltgov.alabama.gov
Fax: 334-353-0004 governor.alabama.gov
SECRETARY OF STATE WES ALLEN
STATE AUDITOR ANDREW SORRELL
600 Dexter Ave.
600 Dexter Ave.
Suite S-105
Room S-101
Montgomery, AL 36130
Montgomery, AL 36130
334-242-7200
334-242-7010
Fax: 334-242-4993
Fax: 334-242-7650
sos.alabama.gov
auditor.alabama.gov
ATTORNEY GENERAL STEVE MARSHALL
COMMISSIONER OF AGRICULTURE & INDUSTRIES — RICK PATE
STATE TREASURER YOUNG BOOZER III
501 Washington Ave. Montgomery, AL 36104 334-242-7300 / Fax: 334-242-4891 alabamaag.gov
1445 Federal Drive Montgomery, AL 36107 334-240-7100 / Fax: 334-240-7190 agi.alabama.gov
600 Dexter Ave., Room S-106 Montgomery, AL 36104 334-242-7500 treasury.alabama.gov January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 15
G OV E R N M E N T
Alabama’s Congressional Members SENATOR
SENATOR
502 Hart Senate Office Building Washington, DC 20510 202-224-5744 britt.senate.gov 321 Federal Bldg. 1800 5th Ave. N. Birmingham, AL 35203 205-731-1384
Russell Senate Office Building Suite 455 Washington, DC 20510 202-224-4124 tuberville.senate.gov Frank M. Johnson Jr. Annex One Church St., Ste. 500-B Montgomery, AL 36104 334-523-7424
U.S. SENATORS
KATIE BRITT (R)
Committees: Appropriations; Banking, Housing and Urban Development; Rules and Administration Chief of Staff: Clay Armentrout Communications Director: Sean Ross
District 4: Colbert, Cullman, DeKalb, Etowah, Fayette, Franklin, Lamar, Lawrence, Marion, Marshall, Walker, Winston and parts of Lauderdale & Tuscaloosa 266 Cannon House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-4876/Fax: 202-225-5587 aderholt.house.gov 247 Carl Elliot Building 1710 Alabama Ave. Jasper, AL 35501 205-221-2310/Fax: 205-225-5587 Committees: Appropriations Chief of Staff: Michael Lowry Press Secretary: Carson Clark
MIKE ROGERS (R) District 3: Calhoun, Chambers, Cherokee, Clay, Cleburne, Coosa, Lee, Macon, Randolph, Russell, St. Clair, Talladega, Tallapoosa & parts of Chilton
2469 Rayburn House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-3261 / Fax: 202-226-8485 mikerogers.house.gov 149 E. Hamric Dr., Ste. D Oxford, AL 36203 256-236-5655/Fax: 844-635-4276 Committees: Armed Services Chief of Staff: Christopher Brinson Communications Director: Carrie Cole
JERRY CARL (R)
Committees: Armed Services; Agriculture, Nutrition and Forestry; Veterans’ Affairs; Health, Education, Labor and Pensions Chief of Staff: Mary Blanche Hankey Communications Director: Ryann DuRant
Photo by AP Images
ROBERT ADERHOLT (R)
U.S. REPRESENTATIVES
TOMMY TUBERVILLE (R)
BARRY MOORE (R) District 1: Baldwin, Escambia, Mobile, Monroe and Washington counties
District 2: Autauga, Barbour, Bullock, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Covington, Crenshaw, Dale, Elmore, Geneva, Henry, Houston, Pike & parts of Montgomery
1330 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-4931 carl.house.gov 41 W. I-65 Service Rd., Ste. 305 Mobile, AL 36608 251-283-6280
1504 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-2901 barrymoore.house.gov 217 Graceland Dr. Dothan, AL 36305 Phone: 334-547-6630
Committees: Appropriations, Natural Resources Chief of Staff: Chad Carlough Deputy Chief of Staff: Zach Weidlich
Committees: Agriculture, Judiciary Chief of Staff: Shana Teehan Communications Director: Madison Green
TERRI SEWELL (D)
DALE STRONG (R) District 7: Choctaw, Clarke, Dallas, Greene, Hale, Lowndes, Marengo, Perry, Pickens, Sumter, Wilcox, and parts of Jefferson, Montgomery and Tuscaloosa
1035 Longworth House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-2665 / Fax: 202-226-9567 sewell.house.gov 908 Alabama Ave., Fed. Building, Ste. 112 Selma, AL 36701 334-877-4414 / Fax: 334-877-4489 Committees: Ways and Means, Armed Services, House Administration Chief of Staff: Hillary Beard Press Secretary: Christopher Kosteva
16 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
District 5: Jackson, Limestone, Madison, Morgan and parts of Lauderdale
1337 Longworth House Office Building Washington, DC 20515 202-225-4801 strong.house.gov 2101 Clinton Ave. W., Ste. 302 Huntsville, AL 35805 256-551-0190 / Fax: 771-200-5717 Chief of Staff: Payne Griffin Press Secretary: Madison Neal
GARY PALMER (R) District 6: Bibb, Blount, Shelby and parts of Chilton & Jefferson
170 Cannon House Office Building Washington, D.C. 20515 202-225-4921/Fax: 202-225-2082 palmer.house.gov 3535 Grandview Pkwy., Ste. 525 Birmingham, AL 35243 205-968-1290/Fax: 205-968-1294 Committees: Republican Policy, Energy & Commerce, Oversight and Accountability Chief of Staff: William Smith Communications Director: Kris Cook Alabama Congressional Races: Total Amounts Raised Listed in order of amounts raised Mike Rogers (R) $1,173,318 Jerry Carl (R) $1,020,927 Terri Sewell (D) $1,011,672 Gary Palmer (R) $848,926 Dale Strong (R) $613,172 Robert Aderholt (R) $421,212 Barry Moore (R) $307,269 Based on Federal Election Commission data available electronically on Dec. 10, 2023. Sources: Center for Responsive Politics, opensecrets.org
G OV E R N M E N T
Alabama’s State Senate
Compiled by NEDRA BLOOM
GREG ALBRITTON
GERALD ALLEN
WILL BARFOOT
BILLY BEASLEY
LANCE BELL
THOMAS BUTLER
JOSH CARNLEY
CLYDE CHAMBLISS
DONNIE CHESTEEN
MERIKA COLEMAN
LINDA COLEMAN-MADISON
CHRIS ELLIOTT
VIVIAN DAVIS FIGURES
SAM GIVHAN
MOST SENATE PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALABAMA RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION OF COOPERATIVES. SEVERAL PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALABAMA SENATE.
General address to reach all state senators in Montgomery is Alabama Legislature, 11 S. Union St., Montgomery, AL 36130. SENATOR/PARTY/ DISTRICT
Listed in alphabetical order.
BIOGRAPHICAL
MONTGOMERY PHONE
DISTRICT ADDRESS EMAIL ADDRESS
GREG ALBRITTON, R 22: Washington, Monroe, Clarke, Baldwin, Escambia
Attorney
334-261-0483
810 S. Pensacola Ave., Atmore, AL 36502 gregalbrittonsenate22@gmail.com
GERALD ALLEN, R 21: Tuscaloosa, Pickens, Lamar
Owner, Cashco Marketing
334-261-0889
P.O. Box 70007, Tuscaloosa, AL 35407 gerald.allen@alsenate.gov
WILL BARFOOT, R 25: Crenshaw, Elmore, Montgomery
Attorney
334-261-0895
11 S. Union St., Ste. 733, Montgomery, AL 36130 will.barfoot@alsenate.gov
BILLY BEASLEY, D 28: Russell, Macon, Bullock, Barbour, Henry, Houston
President, Pratts Station LLC
334-261-0868
P.O. Box 606, Clayton, AL 36016 billy.beasley@alsenate.gov
LANCE BELL, R 11: Talladega, St. Clair, Shelby
Attorney
334-261-0789
lance.bell@alsenate.gov
TOM BUTLER, R 2: Madison, Limestone
Pharmacist
334-261-0884
P.O. Box 653, Madison, AL 35758 senbutler@aol.com
JOSH CARNLEY, R 31: Pike, Coffee, Dale, Covington
Insurance, farmer
334-261-0845
josh.carnley@alsenate.gov
CLYDE CHAMBLISS JR., R 30: Coosa, Elmore, Tallapoosa, Chilton, Autauga
Principal engineer, Chambliss Engneering
334-261-0872
clyde.chambliss@alsenate.gov
DONNIE CHESTEEN, R 29: Dale, Geneva, Houston
High school coach
334-261-0879
P.O. Box 39, Geneva, AL 36340 donnie.chesteen@alsenate.gov
MERIKA COLEMAN, D 19: Jefferson
Miles College faculty
334-261-0793
merika.coleman@alsenate.gov
LINDA COLEMAN-MADISON, D 20: Jefferson
Americans with Disabilities compliance coordinator
334-261-0864
lcolemanmadison926@yahoo.com
CHRIS ELLIOTT, R 32: Baldwin
Small business owner
334-261-0897
1100 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL 36532 chris.elliott@alsenate.gov
VIVIAN DAVIS FIGURES, D 33: Mobile
Advocate for children, health care, education
334-261-0871
P.O. Box 7985, Mobile, AL 36670 vivian.figures@alsenate.gov
SAM GIVHAN, R 7: Madison
Real estate attorney
334-261-0867
sam.givhan@alsenate.gov
January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 17
GARLAN GUDGER, R 4: Winston, Marion, Lawrence, Cullman
TIM MELSON SHAY SHELNUTT JACK WILLIAMS
STEVE LIVINGSTON DAVID SESSIONS APRIL WEAVER
KEITH KELLEY CLAY SCOFIELD J.T. “JABO” WAGGONER
ANDREW JONES BIOGRAPHICAL
DAN ROBERTS
GREG REED ROBERT STEWART
SENATOR/PARTY/ DISTRICT
LARRY STUTTS
KIRK HATCHER RANDY PRICE RODGER SMITHERMAN
JAY HOVEY
GARLAN GUDGER ARTHUR ORR BOBBY SINGLETON
G OV E R N M E N T
MONTGOMERY PHONE
DISTRICT ADDRESS EMAIL ADDRESS
Owner, Southern Accents Architectural Antiques
334-261-0855
garlan.gudger@alsenate.gov
KIRK HATCHER, D 26: Montgomery
Teacher
334-261-9001
P.O. Box 6213, Montgomery, AL 36106 kirk.hatcher@alsenate.gov
JAY HOVEY, R 27: Tallapoosa, Russell, Lee
Banker
334-261-0865
jay.hovey@alsenate.gov
ANDREW JONES, R 10: Cherokee, DeKalb, Etowah
Farmer, coffee roaster
334-261-0857
andrew.jones@alsenate.gov
KEITH KELLEY, R 12: Talladega, Calhoun
Businessperson
334-261-0846
keith.kelley@alsenate.gov
STEVE LIVINGSTON, R 8: Madison, Jackson, DeKalb
Businessperson
334-261-0858
P.O. Box 8, Scottsboro, AL 35768 steve.livingston@alsenate.gov
TIM MELSON, R 1: Madison, Limestone, Lauderdale
Physician; farmer
334-261-0888
P.O. Box 550, Florence, AL 35631 tim.melson@alsenate.gov
ARTHUR ORR, R 3: Morgan, Madison, Limestone
Attorney, VP at Cook's Pest Control
334-261-0758
P.O. Box 305, Decatur, AL 35602 arthur.orr@alsenate.gov
RANDY PRICE, R 13: Randolph, Lee, Cleburne, Clay, Chambers
Business owner, farmer
334-261-0874
P.O. Box 429, Opelika, AL 36801 randyprice.sd13@gmail.com
GREG REED, R 5: Fayette, Winston, Walker, Tuscaloosa, Jefferson
President Pro Tem of Senate
334-261-0894
900 Hwy. 78 E., Ste. 200 #106, Jasper, AL 35502 greg.reed@alsenate.gov
DAN ROBERTS, R 15: Talladega, Shelby, Jefferson
Real estate developer, realtor
334-261-0851
P.O. Box 43186, Birmingham, AL 35243 dan.roberts@alsenate.gov
DAVID SESSIONS, R 35: Mobile
Farmer
334-261-0882
104 Lawrence St., Mobile, AL 36602 d.r.sessions@att.net
18 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
G OV E R N M E N T
SENATOR/PARTY/ DISTRICT
BIOGRAPHICAL
MONTGOMERY PHONE
DISTRICT ADDRESS EMAIL ADDRESS
Realtor
334-261-0794
P.O. Box 120, Trussville, AL 35173 shay.sd17@gmail.com
BOBBY SINGLETON, D Consultant 24: Tuscaloosa, Sumter, Pickens, Marengo, Choctaw, Green, Hale
334-261-0335
bsingle362@gmail.com
RODGER SMITHERMAN, D 18: Jefferson
Attorney
334-261-0870
2029 2nd Ave. N., Birmingham, AL 35203 rodger.smitherman@alsenate.gov
ROBERT STEWART, D 23: Butler, Clarke, Conecuh, Dallas, Lowndes, Marengo, Perry, Washington, Wilcox
Former aide to U.S. Rep. Terri Sewell
334-261-0860
robert.stewart@alsenate.gov
LARRY STUTTS, R 6: Marion, Lawrence, Lauderdale, Colbert, Franklin
Physician
334-261-0862
1120 S. Jackson Hwy., Ste. 104, Sheffield, AL 35660 larry.stutts@alsenate.gov
J.T. "JABO" WAGGONER, R 16: Shelby, Jefferson
Attorney
334-261-0892
P.O. Box 660609, Vestavia Hills, AL 35266 jabo.waggoner@alsenate.gov
APRIL WEAVER, R 14: Shelby, Chilton, Bibb
Former regional director, U.S. Department of Health & Human Services
334-261-0886
P.O. Box 2050, Alabaster, AL 35007 april.weaver@alsenate.gov
JACK WILLIAMS, R 34: Mobile
Farmer
334-261-0829
10095A Wilmer Georgetown Rd., Wilmer, AL 36587 jackwilliams55@icloud.com
SHAY SHELNUTT, R 17: St. Clair, Jefferson, Blount
District 9 is vacant after the resignation of Clay Scofield, who became vice president of the Business Council of Alabama. A special election is set for Tuesday, January 9, 2024.
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January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 19
G OV E R N M E N T
House of Representatives
Compiled by NEDRA BLOOM
CHIP BROWN ANTHONY DANIELS
MACK BUTLER
NAPOLEON BRACY JR. DANNY CRAWFORD
BARBARA BOYD BROCK COLVIN
RON BOLTON TERRI COLLINS
RUSSELL BEDSOLE
ADLINE CLARKE
CHRIS BLACKSHEAR
ALAN BAKER PRINCE CHESTNUT
STEVE CLOUSE
CYNTHIA ALMOND
JIM CARNS
MANY HOUSE PHOTOS COURTESY OF ALABAMA HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OR ALABAMA RURAL ELECTRIC ASSOCIATION OF COOPERATIVES.
General address to reach all state representatives in Montgomery is Alabama Legislature, 11 S. Union St., Montgomery, AL 36130. Listed in alphabetical order. REPRESENTATIVE/PARTY/ DISTRICT
BIOGRAPHICAL
MONTGOMERY/ DISTRICT PHONE
DISTRICT ADDRESS EMAIL ADDRESS
CYNTHIA LEE ALMOND, R 63: Tuscaloosa
Attorney, business owner
334-261-0558
2704 8th St., Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 cynthia.almond@alhouse.gov
ALAN BAKER, R 66: Baldwin, Escambia
Former teacher
334-261-4240
P.O. Box 975, Brewton, AL 36427 staterep@co.escambia.al.us
RUSSELL BEDSOLE, R 49: Shelby, Bibb, Chilton
Shelby County Sheriff's captain
334-261-0491
417 Sterling Park Circle, Alabaster, AL 35007 russell.bedsole@alhouse.gov
CHRIS BLACKSHEAR, R 80: Russell, Lee
Senior manager, TSYS
334-261-0428
P.O. Box 1178, Smiths Station, AL 36877 chris.blackshear@alhouse.gov
RON BOLTON, R 61: Tuscaloosa, Pickens
First elected 2022
334-261-0403
11240 Davis Place, Northport, AL 35476 ronaldbolton1@gmail.com
BARBARA BOYD, D 32: Talladega, Calhoun
Retired educator
334-261-0592
P.O. Box 4085, Anniston, AL 36204 barbara.boyd@alhouse.gov
NAPOLEON BRACY JR., D 98: Mobile
Diversity manager, Austal USA
334-261-0556: 251-327-2794
104 S. Lawrence St., Mobile, AL 36602 napolean@napoleonbracy.com
CHIP BROWN, R 105: Mobile
Realtor, business owner
334-261-0447
104 S. Lawrence St., Mobile, AL 36602 chip.brown@alhouse.gov
MACK BUTLER, R 28: Etowah
First elected 2022
334-261-0490: 256-312-3128
P.O. Box 7184, Rainbow City, AL 35906 mack.butler@alhouse.gov
JIM CARNS, R 48: Shelby, Jefferson
Engineer
334-261-0429
1713 Pump House Ln., Vestavia Hills, AL 35243 jwcarns@gmail.com
PRINCE CHESTNUT, D 67: Dallas, Perry
Attorney
334-261-0598: 334-874-2569
P.O. Box 628, Selma, AL 36702 chestnut4house@gmail.com
ADLINE CLARKE, D 97: Mobile
Small business owner
334-261-0549: 251-208-5481
P.O. Box 40748, Mobile, AL 36640 adline.clark@alhouse.gov
STEVE CLOUSE, R 93: Houston, Dale
VP, Clouse Marketing
334-261-0488: 334-774-7384
P.O. Box 818, Ozark, AL 36361 steve.clouse@alhouse.gov
TERRI COLLINS, R 8: Morgan
Formerly marketing and sales
334-261-0472: 256-260-2146
2128 6th Ave. SE, Ste. 504, Decatur, AL 35602 terri@terricollins.org
BROCK COLVIN, R 26: Marshall, DeKalb
First elected 2022
334-261-0438
412A Gunter Ave., Guntersville, AL 35976 brock.colvin@alhouse.gov
DANNY CRAWFORD, R 5: Limestone
Crop insurance contractor
334-261-0516: 256-871-1944
113 Lindsay Ln. N., Athens, AL 35613 Danny.F.Crawford@gmail.com
ANTHONY DANIELS, D 53: Madison
COO, Premier Dental
334-261-0522: 256-539-5441
726 Madison St., Huntsville, AL 35801 anthony.daniels@alhouse.gov
20 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
BIOGRAPHICAL
TRACY ESTES
DAVID FAULKNER
JENNIFER FIDLER
JEREMY GRAY
LAURA HALL
MATTHEW HAMMETT
PHILLIP ENSLER DONNA GIVENS
CHRISTOPHER ENGLAND JUANDALYNN GIVAN
BRETT EASTERBROOK DANNY GARRETT
CORLEY ELLIS
SUSAN DUBOSE BERRY FORTE
REPRESENTATIVE/PARTY/ DISTRICT
MARK GIDLEY
BARBARA DRUMMOND BOB FINCHER
G OV E R N M E N T
MONTGOMERY/ DISTRICT PHONE
DISTRICT ADDRESS EMAIL ADDRESS
BARBARA DRUMMOND, D 103: Mobile
Owner, B-Inspired Marketing and Consulting
334-261-0564: 251-208-5481
1266 Horton Dr., Mobile, AL 36605 drummondbarbara@att.net
SUSAN DUBOSE, R 45: Shelby, Jefferson
First elected 2022
334-261-0527: 205-612-2433
5378 Greystone Way, Hoover, AL 35242 susan.dubose@alhouse.gov
BRETT EASTERBROOK, R 65: Washington, Choctaw, Clarke
First elected 2018
334-261-0402
633 Escatawpa Rd., Fruitdale, AL 36539 brett.easterbrook@yahoo.com
CORLEY ELLIS, R 41: Shelby
Owner, Ellis Properties
334-261-0560
P.O. Box 1177, Columbiana, AL 35051 corley.ellis@alhouse.gov
CHRISTOPHER JOHN ENGLAND, D 70: Tuscaloosa
Assistant city attorney, Tuscaloosa
334-261-0503: 205-248-5140
2201 University Blvd., Tuscaloosa, AL 35401 cengland1@hotmail.com
PHILLIP ENSLER, D 74: Montgomery
First elected 2022
334-261-0569: 334-235-9814
P.O. Box 20185, Montgomery, AL 36120 phillip.ensler@gmail.com
TRACY ESTES, R 17: Winston, Marion, Lamar
News editor, Marion Journal Record
334-261-0434
202 Arrowhead Village, Winfield, AL 35594 jtracyestes@gmail.com
DAVID FAULKNER, R 46: Jefferson
First elected 2014
334-261-0442: 205-250-6604
505 N. 20th St., Ste. 1800, Birmingham, AL 35203 david@davidfaulkneral46.com
JENNIFER FIDLER, R 94: Baldwin
First elected 2022
334-261-0409: 251-620-9384
1100 Fairhope Ave., Fairhope, AL 36532 jennifer.fidler@alhouse.gov
BOB FINCHER, R 37: Chambers, Cleburne, Randolph
Retired educator
334-261-0538: 256-201-0154
11823 County Rd. 59, Woodland, AL 36280 rsfincher77@gmail.com
BERRY FORTE, D 84: Randolph, Barbour, Bullock
American Buildings
334-261-0566
620 Davis Ln., Eufaula, AL 36027 berry.forte@alhouse.gov
DANNY GARRETT, R 44: Jefferson
CFO, Vulcan Threaded Products
334-261-0524: 205-410-4637
P.O. Box 531, Trussville, AL 35173 dannygarrett44@gmail.com
MARK GIDLEY, R 29: Etowah, DeKalb, Calhoun
First elected 2022
334-261-0432
P.O. Box 2671, Gasden, AL 35903 mark.gidley@alhouse.gov
JUANDALYNN GIVAN, D 60: Jefferson
Owner, Givan & Associates Law Firm
: 334-261-0584
63 Greenleaf Dr., Birmingham, AL 35214 juandalynn.givan@alhouse.gov
DONNA GIVENS, R 64: Monroe, Baldwin
First elected 2022
334-261-0445: 251-952-2210
P.O. Box 8261, Loxley, AL 36551 donnagivens64@gmail.com
JEREMY GRAY, D 83: Russell, Lee
CEO, Elevate Your Grind
334-261-9505: 256-247-5059
P.O. Box 1834, Opelika, AL 36803 jeremy.gray@alhouse.gov
LAURA HALL, D 19: Madison
Retired educator
334-261-0517: 256-539-5441
726 Madison St., Huntsville, AL 35801 annihall19@gmail.com
MATTHEW HAMMETT, R 92: Coffee, Covington, Escambia
First elected 2022
334-261-0421: 334-496-3649
24901 County Rd. 62, Dozier, AL 36028 matthew.hammett@alhouse.gov
January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 21
BIOGRAPHICAL
LEIGH HULSEY
STEVE HURST
REED INGRAM
KELVIN LAWRENCE
NATHANIEL LEDBETTER
PAUL LEE
ROLANDA HOLLIS
BILL LAMB
FRANCES HOLK-JONES WES KITCHENS
KENYATTÉ HASSEL JAMIE KIEL
JIM HILL
BEN HARRISON SAM JONES
REPRESENTATIVE/PARTY/ DISTRICT
MIKE KIRKLAND
COREY HARBISON THOMAS JACKSON
G OV E R N M E N T
MONTGOMERY/ DISTRICT PHONE
DISTRICT ADDRESS EMAIL ADDRESS
COREY HARBISON, R 12: Cullman
First elected 2014
334-261-0578: 256-385-5510
P.O. Box 472, Cullman, AL 35056 corey_harbison@yahoo.com
BEN HARRISON, R 2: Limestone, Lauderdale
Former Limestone County commissioner
334-261-0476: 256-614-9087
23029 AL Hwy. 89, Elkmond, AL 35620 votebenharrison@gmail.com
KENYATTÉ HASSELL, D 78: Montgomery
Urban director, Young Life; Heritage Barbershop manager
334-261-0506: 334-834-8494
1200 Hugh St., Montgomery, AL 36108 ken.hassell@alhouse.gov
TRAVIS HENDRIX, D 55: Jefferson
First elected 2023
334-261-0452
Jefferson County
JIM HILL, R 50: St. Clair
First elected 2014
334-261-0494: 205-838-1990
2603 Moody Pkwy., Moody, AL 35004 jimhill@stclairlawgroup.com
FRANCES HOLK-JONES, R 95: Baldwin
First elected 2022
334-261-0523: 251-620-7470
315 E. Laurel Ave., Ste. 101, Foley, AL 36535 frances.holk-jones@alhouse.gov
ROLANDA HOLLIS, D 58: Jefferson
Real estate broker
334-261-9520
524 Red Lane Rd., Birmingham, AL 35215 rolanda.hollis@alhouse.gov
LEIGH HULSEY, R 15: Jefferson, Shelby
First elected 2022
334-261-0474
1134 County Services Dr., Pelham, AL 35124 leigh.hulsey@alhouse.gov
STEVE HURST, R 35: Calhoun, Clay, Talladega
Businessperson
334-261-0415: 334-280-3276
155 Quail Run Rd., Munford, AL 36268 repstevehurst98@gmail.com
REED INGRAM, R 75: Elmore, Montgomery
Former Montgomery County commissioner
334-261-0507
85 Meriwether Rd., Pike Road, AL 36064 reedingram75@gmail.com
THOMAS E. JACKSON, D 68: Clarke, Conecuh, Monroe, Marengo
Upward Bound director at Alabama Southern College
334-261-0437: 334-222-0111
P.O. Box 636, Thomasville, AL 36784 jthomase69@gmail.com
SAM JONES, D 99: Mobile
Former mayor of Mobile
334-261-0963
1 Southern Way, Mobile, AL 36619 SL Jones@ballhealth.com
JAMIE KIEL, R 18: Colbert, Lauderdale, Franklin
Owner, Kiel Equipment
334-261-0521
14696 Hwy. 43, Russellville, AL 35653 jamie.kiel@alhouse.gov
MIKE KIRKLAND, R 23: Jackson, DeKalb
First elected 2022
334-261-0551: 256-218-3090
100 E. Peachtree St., Scottsboro, AL 35768 kirklandmike75@gmail.com
WES KITCHENS, R 27: Marshall, DeKalb, Blount
Insurance agent
334-261-0539: 256-582-0619
412-A Gunter Ave., Guntersville, AL 35976 weskitchens@mclo.org
BILL LAMB, R 62: Tuscaloosa
Former Tuscaloosa County CFO
334-261-0481: 205-361-5262
7402 Marigold Ln., Tuscaloosa, AL 35405 lambbama@gmail.com
KELVIN LAWRENCE, D 69: Wilcox, Lowndes, Autauga, Montgomery
First elected 2014
334-251-0536: 256-638-6397
P.O. Box 1010, Hayneville, AL 36040 kelvinj73@gmail.com
NATHANIEL LEDBETTER, R 24: DeKalb
First elected 2014
334-261-0505: 334-792-0022
P.O. Box 725, Rainsville, AL 35986 nathaniel.ledbetter@alhouse.gov
PAUL W. LEE, R 86: Houston
Director, Wiregrass Rehab Center
334-261-0488: 334-792-9682
304 Ashborough Circle, Dothan, AL 36301 pleed86@gmail.com
22 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
BIOGRAPHICAL
ARNOLD MOONEY
MARY MOORE
PARKER MOORE
NEIL RAFFERTY
RICK REHM
REX REYNOLDS
PATRICE “PENNI” MCCLAMMY CHRIS PRINGLE
A.J. McCAMPBELL PHILLIP PETTUS
JOE LOVVORN MARCUS PARAMORE
RHETT MARQUES
JAMES LOMAX ED OLIVER
REPRESENTATIVE/PARTY/ DISTRICT
KENNETH PASCHAL
CRAIG LIPSCOMB TASHINA MORRIS
G OV E R N M E N T
MONTGOMERY/ DISTRICT PHONE
DISTRICT ADDRESS EMAIL ADDRESS
CRAIG LIPSCOMB, R 30: St. Clair, Etowah
Architect
334-261-0546: 334-501-7133
422 Chestnut St., Gadsden, AL 35901 craig.lipscomb@alhouse.gov
JAMES LOMAX, R 20: Madison
First elected 2022
334-261-0444: 256-503-6088
P.O. Box 875, Huntsville, AL 35804 jamesoliverlomax@gmail.com
JOE LOVVORN, R 79: Lee
Firefighter, small business owner
334-261-0540
515 Ogletee Rd., Auburn, AL 36830 joe.lovvorn@alhouse.gov
RHETT MARQUES, R 91: Coffee
Small business owner
334-261-0473: 334-289-5664
1161 Geneva Hwy., Enterprise, AL 36330 rhett.marques@alhouse.gov
ARTIS "AJ" MCCAMPBELL, D 71: Tuscaloosa, Sumter, Marengo, Greene
Insurance
334-261-0547: 334-261-0580
P.O. Box 487, Demopolis, AL 36732 aj.mccampbell@alhouse.gov
PATRICE "PENNI" MCCLAMMY, D 76: Montgomery
Attorney
334-261-0580: 334-414-7345
530 S. Union St., Montgomery, AL 36125 patrice.mcclammy@alhouse.gov
ARNOLD MOONEY, R 43: Shelby
First elected 2014
334-261-9512: 205-620-6610
1134 County Services Dr., Pelham, AL 35124 arnoldmooney@alhouse.gov
MARY MOORE, D 59: Jefferson
Retired medical technologist
334-261-0508
1622 36th Ave. N., Birmingham, AL 35207 mamoore48@bellsouth.net
PARKER MOORE, R 4: Morgan, Limestone
Marketing, Encore Rehabilitiation
334-261-0579: 256-227-6674
304 Dominion Dr. SE, Hartselle, AL 35640 parker.moore@alhouse.gov
TASHINA MORRIS, D 77: Montgomery
Nonprofit director
334-261-0597: 256-328-1653
1320 Jordan St., Montgomery, AL 36108 tashinamorris1@yahoo.com
ED OLIVER, R 81: Tallapoosa, Coosa, Chilton
Former military pilot
334-261-0471
P.O. Box 277, Dadeville, AL 36853 ed.oliver@alhouse.gov
MARCUS PARAMORE, R 89: Pike, Dale
First elected 2022
334-261-0592: 334-546-1242
P.O. Box 211, Troy, AL 36081 marcusforhouse@gmail.com
KENNETH PASCHAL, R 73: Shelby
Retired military
334-261-0469: 205-626-9458
1134 County Services Dr., Pelham, AL 35124 kenneth.paschal@alhouse.gov
PHILLIP PETTUS, R 1: Lauderdale
Retired Alabama State Trooper
334-261-0591: 256-757-6679
771 County Rd. 144, Killen, AL 35645 phillip.pettus@alhouse.gov
CHRIS PRINGLE, R 101: Mobile
Realtor, builder
334-261-0489
4 Princess Anne Rd., Mobile, AL 36608 chris.pringle@alhouse.gov
NEIL RAFFERTY, D 54: Jefferson
Former Marine, health care advocate
334-261-0543
P.O. Box 321579, Birmingham, AL 35232 reprafferty@gmail.com
RICK REHM, R 85: Houston, Henry
First elected 2022
334-261-0513: 334-797-7770
2115 Cecily St., Dothan, AL 36303 rrehm46@gmail.com
REX REYNOLDS, R 21: Madison
Former Huntsville police chief
334-261-0571: 256-582-0619
P.O. Box 18743, Huntsville, AL 35804 reynoldsdist21@gmail.com
January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 23
BIOGRAPHICAL
GINNY SHAVER
MIKE SHAW
RANDALL SHEDD
JERRY STARNES
SHANE STRINGER
TROY STUBBS
CHRIS SELLS DAVID STANDRIDGE
PATRICK SELLERS SCOTT STADTHAGEN
CHAD ROBERTSON IVAN SMITH
JOHN W. ROGERS JR.
BEN ROBBINS MATT SIMPSON
REPRESENTATIVE/PARTY/ DISTRICT
JEFF SORRELLS
PHILLIP RIGSBY MARK SHIREY
G OV E R N M E N T
MONTGOMERY/ DISTRICT PHONE
DISTRICT ADDRESS EMAIL ADDRESS
PHILLIP RIGSBY, R 25: Madison, Limestone
First elected 2022
334-261-0514: 256-714-6376
800 Dr. Joseph Lower Blvd., Ste. D, Huntsville, AL 35801 reprigsbydistrict25@gmail.com
BEN ROBBINS , R 33: Clay, Coosa, Talladega
Attorney
334-261-0477: 205-907-5091
29 W. 3rd St., Ste. C, Sylacauga, AL 35150 ben.robbins@alhouse.gov
CHAD ROBERTSON, R 40: Calhoun
First elected 2022
334-261-0496: 256-201-1116
21 Anna Faith Ln., Heflin, AL 36264 ChadrobertsonD40@gmail.com
JOHN W. ROGERS JR., D 52: Jefferson
President, Rogers & Rogers
334-261-0387: 334-261-0495
1424 18th St. SW, Birmingham, AL 35211 johnrogers1424@gmail.com
PATRICK SELLERS, D 57: Jefferson
First elected 2022
334-261-0589: 205-370-5370
3428 Maple Ave. SW, Birmingham, AL 35221 sellersfor57@yahoo.com
CHRIS SELLS, R Owner, Sells Medical Equipment 90: Montgomery, Butler, Coffee, Conecuh, Crenshaw
334-261-0568
271 N. Mt. Zion Rd., Greenville, AL 36037 csea@centurytel.net
GINNY SHAVER, R 39: DeKalb, Calhoun, Cherokee, Cleburne
Municipal government
334-261-0413
P.O. Box 348, Leesburg, AL 35983 ginny.shaver@alhouse.gov
MIKE SHAW, R 47: Jefferson
First elected 2022
334-261-0439: 205-541-6542
P.O. Box 660082, Vestavia Hills, AL 35266 mike.shaw@alabama47.com
RANDALL SHEDD, R 11: Morgan, Cullman, Blount, Marshall
Retired director, Cullman County Commission on Aging
334-261-0530
P.O. Box 345, Baileytown, AL 35019 randall.shedd@alhouse.gov
MARK SHIREY, R 100: Mobile
Optometrist
334-261-0563
312T Schillinger Rd. S., Box 301, Mobile, AL 36608 mark.shirey@alhouse.gov
MATT SIMPSON, R 96: Baldwin, Mobile
Attorney, county attorneys office
334-261-0424
109 Tomrick Circle, Daphne, AL 36526 MattSimpsonAL96@gmail.com
IVAN SMITH, R 42: Autauga, Chilton
Teacher, farmer
334-261-0459
2223 County Rd. 19 N., Prattville, AL 36067 vansmith53@gmail.com
JEFF SORRELLS, R 87: Houston, Geneva
Former mayor of Hartford
334-261-0542: 205-620-6610
101 3rd Ave., Hartford, AL 36344 jeffs@fnbhartford.com
SCOTT STADTHAGEN, R 9: Morgan, Cullman, Marshall
Onwer, Hagen Homes Inc.
334-261-9506
P.O. Box 114, Hartselle, AL 35640 alhouseleader@gmail.com
DAVID STANDRIDGE, R 34: Blount, Marshall
Former law enforcement and probate judge
332-261-0446: 205-543-0647
P.O. Box 76, Hayden, AL 35079 david.standridge@alhouse.gov
JERRY STARNES, R 88: Elmore, Autauga
First elected 2022
334-261-0499: 334-549-0782
1695 Windstone Way, Prattville, AL 36066 jerry.starnes@alhouse.gov
SHANE STRINGER, R 102: Mobile
Police chief, Satsuma
334-261-0594: 251-208-5480
104 S. Lawrence St., Mobile, AL 36602 shane.stringer@alhouse.gov
TROY STUBBS, R 31: Elmore
Small business owner
334-261-0595: 334-451-4589
1761 E. Main St., Prattville, AL 36066 troy.stubbs@hotmail.com
24 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
REPRESENTATIVE/PARTY/ DISTRICT
BIOGRAPHICAL
MONTGOMERY/ DISTRICT PHONE
DISTRICT ADDRESS EMAIL ADDRESS
RITCHIE WHORTON
ANDY WHITT
PEBBLIN WARREN
TIM WADSWORTH
KERRY UNDERWOOD
ALLEN TREADAWAY
CURTIS TRAVIS
ONTARIO TILLMAN
G OV E R N M E N T
ONTARIO TILLMAN, D 56: Jefferson
First elected 2022
334-261-0529: 205-417-1032
2326 2nd Ave. N., Birmingham, AL 35020 ojtillman@gmail.com
CURTIS TRAVIS, D 72: Perry, Marengo, Hale, Bibb, Greene
First elected 2022
334-261-0559: 205-349-9183
620 Haymarket Ln., Tuscaloosa, AL 35405 cltravis620@charter.net
ALLEN TREADAWAY, R 51: Jefferson
Police captain, City of Birmingham
334-261-0585: 205-384-4357
P.O. Box 126, Morris, AL 35116 allen.treadaway@alhouse.gov
KERRY UNDERWOOD, R 3: Colbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence
Retired law enforcement
334-261-0435: 256-248-4891
102 N. Main St., Tuscumbia, AL 35674 kerryucpa@me.com
TIMOTHY WADSWORTH, R 14: Winston, Walker, Jefferson
Attorney, CPA
205-300-4008
1175 Helicon Rd., Arley, AL 35541 wadsworth.tim654321@gmail.com
PEBBLIN WALKER WARREN, D 82: Tallapoosa, Macon, Lee
First elected 2005
334-261-0541
P.O. Box 1328, Tuskegee Institute, AL 36087 tiger9127@bellsouth.net
ANDY WHITT, R 6: Madison, Limestone
Banker
334-261-0404: 256-539-5441
P.O. Box 306, Harvest, AL 35749 andy.whitt@alhouse.gov
RICHIE WHORTON, R 22: Madison, Jackson
Businessperson, All Star Pools
334-261-0553: 256-679-6490
134 Rock Spring Rd., Owens Cross Roads, AL 35763 richiewhorton@gmail.com
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businessalabama.com January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 25
REPRESENTATIVE/PARTY/ DISTRICT
ERNIE YARBROUGH
MATT WOODS
RANDY WOOD
DEBBIE HAMBY WOOD
MARGIE WILCOX
G OV E R N M E N T
BIOGRAPHICAL
MONTGOMERY/ DISTRICT PHONE
DISTRICT ADDRESS EMAIL ADDRESS
MARGIE WILCOX, R 104: Mobile
First elected 2014
334-261-0577
104 S. Lawrence St., Mobile, AL 36602 margie.wilcox@alhouse.gov
DEBBIE HAMBY WOOD, R 38: Lee, Chambers
Real estate broker
334-261-0532: 706-773-9404
3011 20th Ave., Valley, AL 36854 debbie.wood@alhouse.gov
RANDY WOOD, R 36: St. Clair, Calhoun, Talladega
Owner, Wood's Auto Body Shop
334-261-0552/256- P.O. Box 4432, Anniston, AL 36204 239-9190 strep36@gmail.com
MATT WOODS, R 13: Walker, Blount
First elected 2022
334-261-0495
P.O. Box 1627, Jasper, AL 35502 matt.woods@alhouse.gov
ERNIE YARBROUGH, R 7: Talladega, St. Clair, Shelby
Engineer
334-261-0454
1332 Old Hwy. 24, Trinity, AL 35673 yarbrough4house@gmail.com
District 10 is vacant after the resignation of David Cole. A special election is set for March 26, 2024. District 16 is vacant after Kyle South resigned to head the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce. An election is slated for January 9, 2024.
26 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
ALABAMA STOCKS
Markets Traveled a Tough Road, Despite Easing Inflation by MARGOT CRABTREE
T
he Business Alabama Quarterly Stock Index, which ran from June 30, 2023, through October 31, 2023, ended in solidly negative terrain, with Alabama stocks taking the biggest hit. Local stocks tumbled 304.02 points, or 13.64%, and closed at 1,924.11. Declining issues outweighed advancing issues by a 10-to-6 count. The Comprehensive Index fell 14.96 points, or 0.83%, and ended at 1,785.67. Declining issues dominated advancing issues by a 39-to-16 count. Last year’s quarterly at this time was all about rate hikes and inflation; this time, it is still about inflation, but inflation that is showing signs of easing, even though more interest rate hikes have not been ruled out. The surprising question mark in the economic recovery has been the robust jobs market. Several times in our cycle, actual job numbers surprised experts. In July, for example, experts expected some 250,000 new jobs, but the Labor Department reported a 528,000 increase. In another report, the Labor Department said that job openings rose higher than expected in August, to 9.6 million jobs, up from 8.9 million jobs in July. Economists had expected 8.9 million job openings. The June consumer price index was not as hot as expected, just 3% higher than the year before, the slowest rate since March 2021; inflation was at a 9% rate last summer. The Labor Department’s June producer price index — wholesale prices before they reach the consumer — was up just 0.1% from the year before, the INDEX VALUE 10/31/23 BA Alabama Stock Index
1,924.11
BA Comprehensive Stock Index
1,785.67
Dow Jones Industrial Average
33,052.87
S&P 500 Index
4,193.80
NASDAQ Composite
12,851.24
smallest increase since August 2020. The rise in consumer prices moderated slightly in September; the Labor Department’s report showed that they rose 0.4% from the month before, compared to the 0.6% increase from the month before that, in line with expectations. Year-over-year inflation was unchanged from August’s gain of 3.7%. However, wholesale prices for the same period were higher than anticipated. The department’s Producer Price Index rose 0.5% month-over-month, but was up 2.2% from the year before. That compares to a 2% increase in August. The Commerce Department reported June retail sales increased 0.2% from the month before, a bit softer than expected. However, the more volatile sector including cars, building materials, food services and gas increased 0.6% in June. July retail sales remained unchanged from June; economists had expected a small increase. Compared to a year ago, July retail sales rose by 10.3%. Excluding cars and car parts, however, overall retail sales increased 0.5% in July. The Commerce Department reported September retail sales increasing 0.7%, more than twice the rate economists expected. Retail sales in September reflected the buoyancy worrying Fed chief Jerome Powell. Another report from the Commerce Department showed that the economy grew at a fierce 4.9% annual rate in the third quarter — twice as much as the previous quarter — as consumers continued to spend, despite increased interest rates and higher prices. The Commerce Department said that new single-family homes tumbled 8.7% in August, to a seasonally adjusted pace of 675,000 units. EconoINDEX VALUE NET PERCENT 6/30/23 CHANGE CHANGE mists surveyed by Reuters expected a figure of 700,000 units. July’s rate was revised 2,228.13 -304.02 -13.64% higher, to 739,000 units, from the 714,000 1,800.63 -14.96 -0.83% previously tallied. The National Associa34,407.60 -1354.73 -3.94% tion of Realtors said that sales of existing homes fell 2% in September, to a season4,450.38 -256.58 -5.77% ally adjusted 3.96 million; economists 13,787.92 -936.68 -6.79% expected 3.9 million, the most sluggish sales rate since October 2010. Sales were off 15.4% from last year. COMPREHENSIVE INDEX** The Conference Board’s July consumer confidence index jumped to 117, from Northrop Grumman Corp. 15.63 June’s revised 110.1 reading. That was much higher than the 110.5 expected by Teledyne Technologies Inc. --36.52 economists, the highest level since July Steelcase Inc. 41.50% 2021. In August, it fell to 108.7. Despite Endo International --50.00% declining confidence, there is some hope Advancers: 16 that inflation may be taming. The Federal
MARKET HIGHLIGHTS ALABAMA INDEX* LARGEST $ GAINER TOP $ LOSER
Hibbett Sporting Goods Inc. 9.78 Warrior Met Coal Inc. 9.78 Vulcan Materials Co. -- 28.95
LARGEST % GAINER
Hibbett Sporting Goods Inc. 26.95%
TOP % LOSER
Medical Properties Trust Inc. -- 48.38%
INDEX RECAP
{
Advancers: 6 Decliners: 10
Decliners: 39 Source: Trade Trends
January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 31
AL ABAMA STOCKS
Alabama Stocks PRICE 10/31/23
PRICE 6/30/23
NET CHANGE
PERCENT CHANGE
52WEEK HIGH
52WEEK LOW
SHARES OUTSTANDING
MARKET ($000) CAPITALIZATION
Adtran Holdings Inc.
6.57
10.53
-3.96
-37.61%
25.47
16.30
77,660
510,226
AUBN
Auburn National Bancorporation Inc.
20.81
21.26
-0.45
-2.12%
37.11
21.77
3,500
72,835
NASD
CPSI
Computer Programs & Systems Inc.
14.09
24.69
-10.60
-42.93%
35.50
25.33
14,510
204,446
NASD
ROAD
Construction Partners Inc.
38.45
31.39
7.06
22.49%
35.88
18.89
41,340
1,589,523
NASD
CULL
Cullman Bancorp Inc.
10.32
10.66
-0.34
-3.19%
12.97
10.40
7,410
76,471
NYSE
EHC
Encompass Health Corp.
62.56
67.71
-5.15
-7.61%
59.36
42.19
99,790
6,242,862
NASD
FUSB
First US Bancshares Inc.
8.50
8.55
-0.05
-0.58%
12.00
6.46
5,810
49,385
NASD
HIBB
Hibbett Sporting Goods Inc.
46.07
36.29
9.78
26.95%
82.71
39.58
12,810
590,157
NYSE
MPW
Medical Properties Trust Inc.
4.78
9.26
-4.48
-48.38%
24.13
9.90
598,000
2,858,440
OTC
OAKC
Oakworth Capital Inc.
30.50
36.50
-6.00
-16.44%
40.00
30.50
4,860
148,230
NYSE
PRA
ProAssurance Corp.
17.00
15.09
1.91
12.66%
27.55
18.35
53,960
917,320
NYSE
RF
Regions Financial Corp.
14.53
17.82
-3.29
-18.46%
25.57
18.01
934,450
13,577,559
NASD
SFBS
ServisFirst Bancshares Inc.
47.16
40.92
6.24
15.25%
97.25
68.55
54,320
2,561,731
NASD
SSBK
Southern States Bancshares Inc.
23.22
21.10
2.12
10.05%
30.50
19.00
8,710
202,246
NYSE
VMC
Vulcan Materials Co.
196.49
225.44
-28.95
-12.84%
213.65
137.54
132,910
26,115,486
NYSE
HCC
Warrior Met Coal Inc.
48.73
38.95
9.78
25.11%
42.95
20.25
51,650
2,516,905
EXCHANGE
TICKER SYMBOL
NASD
ADTN
NASD
COMPANY NAME
Note: Oakworth Capital (OTC: OAKC) added to Alabama Companies.
Reserve also kept rates steady, but warned of the possibility of future hikes. Consumers, though, weren’t so confident. The Conference Board reported that its confidence index fell to 102.6 in October, from September’s 104.3. “The continued skepticism about the future is notable given U.S. consumers — at least through the third quarter of this year — continued to spend heavily on both goods and services,” said Dana Peterson, chief economist at The Conference Board. Medical Properties Trust fell 4.48 points, or 48.38%. For its third quarter, MPW reported net income of $116.7 million, or $0.19 per share, with revenue of $306.6 million. Analysts polled by Zacks expected revenue of $346.5 million. However, a figure closely watched in the real estate investment trust (REIT) industry, funds from operations (FFO), was $225.5 million, or $0.38 per share. Analysts surveyed by Zacks expected FFO of $0.35 per share. MPW ended at 4.78 and was the top percentage loser in the Alabama Index. Hibbett Sporting Goods was the top dollar and percentage gainer in local stocks, matching Warrior Met Coal for the top dollar spot. For its fiscal second quarter, HIBB posted net income of $10.9 million, or $0.85 per share, and revenue of $374.9 million. Earnings beat analysts’ expectations; the average estimate from Zacks was for $0.68 per share. Analysts anticipated that HIBB would post revenue of $376.8 million, but the company exceeded those expectations, posting revenue of $431.9 million for third quarter fiscal 2023. HIBB rose 9.78 points, or 26.95%, and closed at 46.07. Vulcan Materials tumbled 28.95 points, or 12.84%, despite 32 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
beating on third quarter earnings and revenue and receiving an upgrade. VMC posted net income of $2.29 per share, versus $1.78 per share in the same quarter last year. Revenue was $2.19 billion, versus year ago revenue of $2.09 billion. Revenue surpassed the Zacks consensus estimate by 0.39%. Investment firm Seaport Research Partners boosted its rating for VMC to “buy” from “neutral.” Their price target is $260. Vulcan Materials ended at 196.49 and was the top dollar loser in the Alabama Index. Margot Crabtree covers stocks for Business Alabama, under contract with her company, Trade Trends.
Update on Alabama Stocks 16,000 14,000 12,000 10,000 8,000 6,000 4,000 2,000 0 7/30/22
11/30/22
6/30/23
10/31/23
n Comprehensive n Index AL Index n S&P Index n NASDAQ
AL ABAMA STOCKS
National Companies with Alabama Interests PRICE 10/31/23
PRICE 6/30/23
NET CHANGE
PERCENT CHANGE
52WEEK HIGH
52WEEK LOW
SHARES OUTSTANDING
MARKET ($000) CAPITALIZATION
3M
90.95
100.09
-9.14
-9.13%
181.78
107.07
552,740
50,271,703
EADSF
Airbus Group
130.63
144.38
-13.75
-9.52%
137.46
82.66
787,560
102,878,963
ASX
ASB
Austal Limited
1.08
1.57
-0.49
-31.21%
1.89
1.15
356,500
385,020
NYSE
BHE
Benchmark Electronics Inc.
24.21
25.83
-1.62
-6.27%
30.00
21.11
35,180
851,708
NYSE
BA
Boeing Co.
186.82
211.16
-24.34
-11.53%
229.67
113.02
595,980
111,340,984
NYSE
CRS
Carpenter Technology Corp.
62.72
56.13
6.59
11.74%
44.96
24.76
48,440
3,038,157
NYSE
CSTM
Constellium N.V.
15.80
17.20
-1.40
-8.14%
20.85
9.82
144,300
2,279,940
NYSE
DXC
DXC Technology Co.
20.17
26.72
-6.55
-24.51%
39.65
22.65
230,060
4,640,310
NYSE
EMR
Emerson Electric Co.
88.97
90.39
-1.42
-1.57%
100.00
72.41
591,400
52,616,858
OTC
ENDPQ
Endo International
0.01
0.02
-0.01
-50.00%
5.84
0.08
235,200
2,352
NYSE
GL
Globe Life Inc.
116.36
109.62
6.74
6.15%
118.50
85.25
97,270
11,318,337
NYSE
GT
Goodyear Tire & Rubber Co.
11.90
13.68
-1.78
-13.01%
24.17
9.76
282,860
3,366,034
NYSE
IP
International Paper Co.
33.73
31.81
1.92
6.04%
50.23
30.69
355,670
11,996,749
NASD
INAB
IN8bio Inc.
0.98
1.54
-0.56
-36.36%
8.25
1.38
24,500
24,010
NYSE
J
Jacobs Solutions
133.30
118.89
14.41
12.12%
150.32
106.78
126,330
16,839,789
NYSE
JCI
Johnson Controls Inc.
49.02
68.14
-19.12
-28.06%
81.77
45.52
686,700
33,662,034
NYSE
LMT
Lockheed Martin Corp.
454.64
460.38
-5.74
-1.25%
494.66
328.20
262,070
119,147,505
NYSE
MAA
Mid-America Apartment Communities Inc.
118.15
151.86
-33.71
-22.20%
231.63
141.13
115,480
13,643,962
TOR
NFI
NFI Group Inc.
9.36
8.61
0.75
8.71%
16.00
6.42
62,420
584,251
NYSE
NOC
Northrop Grumman Corp.
471.43
455.80
15.63
3.43%
556.27
345.91
153,910
72,557,791
NYSE
NUE
Nucor Corp.
147.79
163.98
-16.19
-9.87%
187.90
88.50
256,540
37,914,047
NYSE
PNC
PNC Financial Services Group Inc.
114.47
125.95
-11.48
-9.11%
228.14
143.52
403,320
46,168,040
NYSE
PII
Polaris Industries Inc.
86.42
120.93
-34.51
-28.54%
127.37
91.86
57,960
5,008,903
NYSE
RTX
Raytheon Technologies Corp.
81.39
97.96
-16.57
-16.92%
106.02
79.00
1,470,000
119,643,300
NASD
SANM
Sanmina-SCI Corp.
50.87
60.27
-9.40
-15.60%
69.28
35.36
57,430
2,921,464
NYSE
SO
Southern Co.
67.30
70.25
-2.95
-4.20%
80.57
60.71
1,090,000
73,357,000
NYSE
SR
Spire Inc.
55.63
63.44
-7.81
-12.31%
79.24
59.60
52,500
2,920,575
NYSE
SCS
Steelcase Inc.
10.91
7.71
3.20
41.50%
12.93
6.52
92,310
1,007,102
NYSE
STE
Steris Corp.
209.98
224.98
-15.00
-6.67%
255.93
159.21
99,820
20,960,204
NYSE
SNV
Synovus Financial Corp.
26.07
30.25
-4.18
-13.82%
54.40
34.15
145,460
3,792,142
NYSE
TDY
Teledyne Technologies Inc.
374.59
411.11
-36.52
-8.88%
493.97
325.00
46,870
17,557,033
NYSE
TFC
Truist Financial
28.36
30.35
-1.99
-6.56%
68.95
40.01
1,330,000
37,718,800
NASD
TRMK
Trustmark Corp.
20.11
21.12
-1.01
-4.78%
38.47
26.67
60,950
1,225,705
NYSE
TSN
Tyson Foods Inc.
46.35
51.04
-4.69
-9.19%
100.72
62.94
289,580
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39.25
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234,270
7,927,697
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14.73
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78.17
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388,570
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0.82
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3.03
1.00
48,070
28,842
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35.93
29.07
6.86
23.60%
54.78
30.08
254,460
9,142,748
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235.89
235.50
0.39
0.17%
244.73
187.89
108,240
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January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 33
AGRICULTURE
GROW MORE, GROW BETTER
HudsonAlpha’s genetic recipe for a new breed of Alabama farm crops
A
team of scientists at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology’s Genomic Sequencing Center in Huntsville is breaking farming tradition by introducing genomic sequencing technology to Alabama farmers. The new approach is a faster, more targeted means for improving profitable farming seasons in Alabama and accelerates the production of new crop varieties. This helps farmers produce more crops with lower inputs like fertilizer and pesticides, decreasing costs on downstream processes like harvesting and food processing. For generations, farmers selected plants based on measurable characteristics like color, size, health, weatherability and thousands of years of trackable production to domesticate and increase the efficiency of crop production, a process called phenotyping. Now, genetic sequencing can produce similar results much more quickly and accurately. “The point of genetic sequencing is to accelerate the production of new crop varieties and then rapidly introduce those traits into an existing coltivirus as opposed to phenotyping, which takes a long time,” says Jeremy Schmutz, codirector of the HudsonAlpha’s Genomic Sequencing Center. “In the genetic world, a breeder can introduce a genetic trait like cold tolerance or disease resistance and put it immediately into any inbreeding pipeline.” Prior to genetic technology, farmers selected plants for domestication and didn’t worry about what other traits came along for the ride. “A lot of modern crops have been severely bottlenecked because they have lost
34 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
By KIMBERLY BALLARD Harvesting barley during field trials.
AG R I C U LT U R E
Nurturing young peanut plants at HudsonAlpha.
Jeremy Schmutz shows off their first barley crop grown in Alabama in 120 years.
or reduced the amount of genetic variation,” Schmutz says. “That’s good because we were trying to improve certain traits, but at the same time, we also brought along some traits that were not desirable on the genetic side, and we lost traits in past breeding cycles. “Genetic-based breeding allows you to do both. It lets you capture and keep that genetic variation but accelerate towards an entirely different set of traits at the same time.” Dr. Josh Clevenger, faculty investigator over HudsonAlpha’s Wiregrass Peanut Project, compares genetic sequencing technology to an advanced Lego Kit. “Lego Kits are complicated, but they tell you exactly what to do at each step,” he says. “There are a lot of steps in building something and a thousand weird looking pieces involved, but you have a picture and instructions to guide you. “Now imagine you have 1,000 Lego pieces but you do not have a picture of what you are building, and you do not have any instructions. “That is what genomic sequencing is — identifying a set of instructions to help us figure out how to breed perfect January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 35
AG R I C U LT U R E
‘‘
The 14,000-square-foot Kathy L. Chan Greenhouse on the HudsonAlpha campus in Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park.
plants based on needs and environment. It’s about getting a desirable end product,” Clevenger says. HudsonAlpha currently has three main breeding programs for food crops: peanuts and pecans, two of Alabama’s best producing food crops; and the reinstatement of barley as an important Alabama-grown crop. BRINGING BARLEY BACK TO BAMA
More than 100 years ago, Alabama farmers surrendered growing barley to northern regions because they faced fewer climate challenges there. Now, with the ability to pinpoint genetic traits related to cold and heat resistance in the barley genome, scientists believe it is possible to reinstate barley as an Alabama food crop. The HudsonAlpha barley project, funded by the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs and supported by Alabama A&M University and Auburn University, has breeding programs with two successful barley producers — North Dakota State University and Virginia Polytechnic Institute. Both 36 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
Barley makes an excellent cover crop that reduces the erosion of soil over winter months, but it leafs out in the spring to be harvested between April and June.” — JEREMY SCHMUTZ
schools have provided the GSC with startup summer and winter barley. The breeding program so far exemplifies the challenges farmers face in Alabama. “The first year, we planted over 30 different varieties of spring barley sent to us from North Dakota State in October and November as an overwinter crop,” says Schmutz. “Barley makes an excellent cover crop that reduces the erosion of soil over winter months, but it leafs out in the spring to be harvested between April and June.”
Schmutz says they were excited after the first year because of its success. “But the second year, we had a couple of days of prolonged cold weather, and it died over the winter and didn’t come back in the spring,” he says, causing the loss of several varieties and genotypes. They planted it again the third year but backcrossed barley varieties from Virginia Tech that had genetic cold tolerance traits with surviving NDS varieties. Some varieties survived, but Schmutz says it wasn’t the quality or quantity of production they got from Virginia Tech. “While the goal of most genetic sequencing is to increase yield, some have decoupled traits underlying yield to maximize production. The producer’s goals, however, are not always to produce more, but to produce a more reliable product. “Winter barley requires the cold tolerance trait or it’s not going to produce every year and farmers depend on reliability.” One goal is malted local barley, which is used for beer production. When heated and put in water to make it sprout, barley
AG R I C U LT U R E
Dr. Josh Clevenger, left, tends to peanut plants as part of the Wiregrass Peanut Project.
growers are introducing the technology of agronomy — producing and using plants for food and other purposes. Local sprouted barley, dried down again and put in beer, was a big hit last fall when Mobile’s Braided River Brewing Co. released Alabama’s first barley malt beer grown and brewed in Alabama. That barley/malt production is an economic advantage for the state. Local farmers, Auburn and Alabama A&M formed a supply chain selling Alabama malt to Alabama breweries, keeping the economics in Alabama. WIREGRASS PEANUT PROJECT
What goes best with a cold glass of Alabama beer? Wiregrass peanuts! According to the Alabama Farmers Federation, Dothan — and the 100mile radius surrounding it known as the Wiregrass region — is the Peanut Capital of the World. From there, an average of more than 400 million pounds of peanuts are grown per year representing about half the peanut production in the U.S.
Pecan growers also benefit from research being done by HudsonAlpha.
Led by Clevenger, HudsonAlpha’s peanut-breeding project currently partners with a dozen local high schools to serve as a hands-on classroom-based study of the genetics of agriculture with a focus on breeding better peanut plants. The “peanut gallery” begins with each student receiving a peanut. “I take each peanut seed into my lab,
shave a little off and put it in a well to extract DNA,” Clevenger says. “A peanut’s DNA is as unique to another peanut as the DNA of people standing in Times Square.” He used the DNA to sequence the peanut’s genetic traits and, with the students, analyzed the sequence to give them a complete genetic profile of each January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 37
peanut, identifying the attributes that will produce specific variations in the peanut. “We have serious discussions about what attributes we want when they nominate the peanut worthy of moving ahead in the development process,” Clevenger says. The chosen peanut is backcrossed, transferring a good trait from one variety to the favored genetic background of another. Within a couple of years, they will breed a great peanut with resistance to diseases, a trait that will contribute to the economic bottom line of the producer. “This is important because fungal diseases are a major concern in south Alabama due to heat and humidity,” Clevenger says. “The average farmer will require seven or eight fungicidal treatments during a growing season.” The cost of those treatments comes straight from the farmer’s profits. THE PECAN PROJECT
Nowhere are the benefits of genetic sequencing over traditional phenotyping better demonstrated than with Jeremy Schmutz’ pecan project. The common phenotypic selection for breeding pecan trees is very slow. It takes seven years for a pecan tree to produce its first nut and 10 more years before it produces its first full harvest, used to measure the pecan’s production for its 30-year lifecycle. That pecan tree must survive in that spot, remain healthy and produce nuts for decades. With genetic sequencing, the breeder selects the most desirable pecan varieties and within two years, can move into a more rapid breeding cycle by backcrossing and creating offspring. The process is accelerated by chopping off a healthy desirable root stock and grafting it onto a tree with a desired trait like disease or drought resistance. “We go back into the breeding program and transition some of them away from the phenotypic base and hopefully accelerate the production of new varieties,” says Schmutz. “We are focused on minimizing inputs going in, and hopefully optimize on the other side, the plant’s ability to live in that environment.” Kimberly Ballard is a Huntsville-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama. 38 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT
Moving the Needle in the Hiring Process Birmingham’s Chalker Group recruits superior talent to Alabama By CHRISTIANA ROUSSEL — Photos by ART MERIPOL
Walton Foster, left, and Jen Dent are working to connect qualified candidates with jobs and life in Birmingham. January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 39
WO R K FO RC E D E V E LO PM E N T
The Chalker Group boosts Birmingham and its jobs.
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or 10 years, Chalker Group has been recruiting top talent to Birmingham. Time and again, as they introduce prospective recruits to the Magic City, the out-of-towners are amazed at all the city has to offer. And Chalker capitalizes on the amazement — helping the recruits find not just the perfect job for themselves, but also the right school for their children, the right niche in the city’s array of cultural opportunities and the best job prospects for the recruit’s spouse. Brewton native Barbara Burton, who spent much of her adult life in New York and London before returning to Alabama, started Chalker Group to bring talent to the University of Alabama at Birmingham. “In 2013, we started Chalker Group at my kitchen table, a group of us discussing impactful ways we could connect with individuals considering a move to Birmingham,” she says. “As we grew and moved into office space, we kept that same sentiment of gathering around the table to work collaboratively.” Since the firm was founded, Chalker Group has experienced intentional and meaningful growth. In mid-2022, Burton tapped team members Walton Foster and Jen Dent to become managing partners of the firm. As their leadership roles grew,
40 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
Burton was able to step back from dayto-day operations, continuing in her role as community leader and well-connected advocate. In August 2023, Foster and Dent became Chalker Group co-owners and co-presidents, with a commitment to growing the team and the services they offer. Burton remains a key advocate and counsel. Chalker Group is tackling a recruiting problem that has its roots both in sociology and the pandemic. As Gen Z moves through the workforce and Baby Boomers retire, the employment pool is shrinking. It is estimated there will be a sizeable gap in the labor market over the next 15 years as more employees retire while fewer enter fulltime positions. COVID-19 also presented huge challenges to the labor market, as employees could decide when, where and how they worked. Going to an office every day from 9 to 5 became something of an outdated concept. What life looked like outside of work became even more important. Helping employees find those connections could mean the difference in whether they accepted a new job offer or even stayed in a current role. A LIFE, NOT JUST A JOB
What Burton connected with in her
initial work was something employees and employers wrestle with: having a job versus having a life. Outside of that 9 to 5 scenario, what will an employee’s life look like? How will they feel engaged? Moreover, what are the needs of the employee’s family — does the trailing spouse require assistance in securing work? If there are children, what are their needs? In other words, there is so much more to consider than merely filling a role with a qualified candidate. Employers must make sure they not only hire the right person but also that employees feel engaged and secure in their community. Dr. Anupam Agarwal, senior vice president for medicine and dean of the UAB Heersink School of Medicine, says the Chalker Group has been “critical” in recruiting talent to the school. “They have been instrumental in providing recruits, their spouses and families a great perspective about not only UAB but also the wonderful opportunities, social life and other vibrant activities in Birmingham and our neighborhoods,” Agarwal says. THE PROCESS
Foster, Dent and the team take a collaborative approach to every recruitment. Bi-weekly staff meetings are filled with conversations on past and upcoming recruitments and the resources the team will engage to make each visit impactful. Historically, the talent Chalker works with are C-Suite-level executives, but they identified a need to expand to a broad range of highly skilled, targeted roles. A panoply of religious, cultural and extracurricular backgrounds often presents themselves, allowing the team to go deep with connections. “The starting point with every recruit is to explore what defines ‘home’ for them. Their needs and interests are diverse and wide-ranging. Having spent the past decade working with hundreds of recruits, we know how to create an experience that removes the fear of the unknown and allows them to visualize their life in Birmingham,” says Foster. Among Chalker Group’s clients is Southern Research, the biotech organization in Birmingham. “Chalker Group leaves no detail to chance and they make
January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 41
WO R K FO RC E D E V E LO PM E N T
sure our candidates, employees and their families experience Birmingham in ways that are tailored to their individual needs,” says Southern Research CEO and President Josh Carpenter. Chalker Group says its work has a ripple effect in the community. For example, a family with a rising high-school senior was considering
moving across the country for the recruit to accept a key role at UAB. With only a month before school started, the family needed to select a specific school system where their son would finish his schooling — a decision that would dictate their real estate choices as well. Via Zoom, Chalker members connected the 17-year-old with students at
various area high schools — public and private — so that he might get to know the tenor of each option. He ultimately chose Homewood High School. As the son thrived, the recruit dove headlong into his fertility work at UAB. Within his first year in the position, he was able to assist five couples in conceiving. Chalker also works to help a recruit’s spouse find meaningful employment in Birmingham. BEYOND RECRUITING
In addition to working with incoming recruits, Dent and Foster realized there were companies with new hires not feeling fully engaged, outside of work. This type of employee is most at risk of leaving a company, costing the employer thousands to fill that vacancy again. The duo conceived a program, Chalker Concierge, to address these needs. Dent says, “Chalker’s concierge program provides individualized solutions to meet an employee’s specific needs, resulting in an employee feeling seen and valued outside of their professional life.” Carpenter says the retention program has helped Southern Research. “In addition to their regular suite of strategic recruiting offerings, which have yielded excellent hires for us, Chalker Group partnered with us to craft an innovative solution for retention that connects recent hires to the Birmingham community,” he says. “This Chalker Concierge program also affords us another way to … demonstrate how we value each person at Southern Research.” Foster is pleased to hear that their work seems to be effective. “Chalker Group is truly moving the needle in the hiring process,” she says. “Candidates who might never have considered making the Magic City their home are seeing what is possible here — as an employee and as community members. Our work is changing the business landscape in Birmingham.” Christiana Roussel and Art Meripol are Birmingham-based freelance contributors to Business Alabama.
42 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
WO R K FO RC E D E V E LO PM E N T
JOB SEEKER, MEET JOB
Onin is all-in when it comes to workforce development and helping people find jobs By CARY ESTES — Photos by CARY NORTON Onin Managing Partner Hugh Thomas enjoys helping people find a paycheck for today and a career for tomorrow. January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 43
WO R K FO RC E D E V E LO PM E N T
T
he philosophy of the Alabamabased staffing firm The Onin Group can be summed up through a piggy bank that was distributed to the company’s approximately 750 employees. The bank is shaped like a small person, with the word “teammate” displayed prominently on front. Managing Partner Hugh Thomas says “teammate” is how the company refers to people seeking employment through Onin’s services, not the more common term of “temp” that’s often used to describe a temporary worker. So, whenever anybody at Onin accidentally says “temp,” they have to put a dollar in their bank. “We provide teammates on assignment, not temps,” Thomas says. “Temp is a dirty word for us. It means short-term. A teammate is a responsibility. We challenged everyone companywide to stop saying temp and start using teammate. That’s really changed our whole culture.” It is a philosophy that has served Onin well since the company was formed in 1996 as a collaboration between Thomas, an Alabama native, and fellow Managing Partner Keith Phillips, who was operating a small staffing firm in Dallas at the time. Onin — a name created by combining Thomas’ On-Staff Solutions with Phillips’ In-Staff Personnel — began with two offices in Birmingham and Tuscaloosa. Today, Onin has 108 locations in 26 states, and the company staffs approximately 80,000 people each year. The key, Thomas says, has been to treat job-seekers as more than merely a temporary fix. Instead, the company’s approach focuses on finding a paycheck for today along with a career for tomorrow. “We are in a position to help change lives,” Thomas says from his office in the company’s Birmingham headquarters. “The majority of people we send on an assignment for the first time are entrylevel, low-wage earners. To get them into opportunities and see them progress is what drives our company. “We get the opportunity to help somebody every day. We have seen careers develop and take people places they never dreamed of going. From living paycheck-to-paycheck to having financial security. That’s something that really
44 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
“We challenged everyone companywide to stop saying temp and start using teammate. That’s really changed our whole culture.” — Hugh Thomas motivates us.” Onin’s early growth in the late 1990s and early 2000s coincided with the rise of auto manufacturing in the state of Alabama and the sudden need for workers in that field.
“That was huge,” Thomas says. “That led to other relationships outside of Alabama. Over the years we just kept after it, doing the blocking and tackling, and our company kept growing.” As a result, Onin has been able to
expand its offerings to job seekers over the years. In 2019, Thomas says the company created its own self-insurance program that provides low-cost co-pays on doctor and dental visits, prescription medications, eye exams and such. In addition, Onin offers paid vacations and recently began an employee stock ownership plan. “It gives them a chance to share in the profits in the company,” Thomas says. “Offering things like that has been a large part of our success.” Thomas says employers have various needs when it comes to using a staffing firm. Some use a work-to-hire model, others simply are seeking seasonal employees (such as retail and delivery around the holidays), and a few have open-ended indefinite requests. “Clients use us in different ways,” Thomas says. “We develop a relationship with them and try to build a hiring program to suit their needs. For the most part our clients do the training, but we’ll have someone on site to help introduce people to their supervisor and work with them that way.” Lately, Onin has expanded its focus beyond individual companies and is now exploring ways to improve the overall workforce participation rate in Alabama. Thomas notes that the state has one of the lowest participation rates in the county (57%) even as job openings remain unfilled and enrollment in such benefit programs as SNAP/food stamps has risen. “We have a lot of work to do in getting people back to work,” Thomas says. “We have a great opportunity to help people get gainfully employed, become more self-sufficient and independent and have a better life. This is an opportunity we can’t squander. I’m motivated to get some change there. That’s something we feel strongly about. We have three full-time people who do nothing but that.” Part of the problem, Thomas says, is that many high school students no longer seek any type of employment until after graduation. According to a study by the Brookings Institution, the number of students ages 16 to 19 who have a part-time job dropped from 60% in 1980 to 35% by 2020, and Thomas says that number is closer to 32% now. “That means the majority of kids comJanuary 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 45
ing out of high school have never worked a day in their life,” Thomas says. “If you then throw that kid into an environment where all of a sudden they have a 40-hour work week, they’re not ready for it. There are so many kids who are woefully unprepared to go to work. That’s something we have to improve.” In response, Onin began a Readyto-Work program, in which students learn the soft skills needed to succeed in the workforce, then are connected to potential employers for interviews. The program began at Central High School in Tuscaloosa with 32 students, and Thomas says 28 of them were hired by businesses involved with the program. Since then, Onin has extended the program into 26 schools throughout Alabama. “You’re seeing high school students walk across that stage at graduation and walk straight into unemployment,” says Tiffany Bishop, Onin’s regional workforce development manager. “Then you have employers who are looking for entry-level talent. So, there’s a disconnect between industry and education. This program brings them together.” With the Baby Boomer generation retiring in droves, Thomas says the need for workforce development is vitally important and will remain so for decades. That is why he is passionate about trying to help improve the situation. “I’m in the people business. People are my inventory. So, I need everybody working who can work,” Thomas says. “Some people don’t realize that they’re equipped for $20-an-hour jobs that are right around the corner. We have to get those two together. “We’ve put hundreds of kids through this program who have immediately gone to work. It’s a needed bridge right now. Because once these kids see that employers want them, they realize that they can expect something more out of themselves.” Which is something The Onin Group believes everyone should take to the bank. Cary Estes and Cary Norton are Birminghambased freelance contributors to Business Alabama.
46 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
SPOTLIGHT
Twelve pickleball courts have opened at 17 Springs. Photo courtesy of City of Millbrook/Montgomery Advertiser.
Autauga and Elmore Counties by LORI CHANDLER PRUITT
AUTAUGA COUNTY
The Rumbling Waters mosaic in Wetumpka was created by artist Linda Munoz. Photo courtesy of Main Street Wetumpka.
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utauga and Elmore counties, in south central Alabama, are known for their great quality of life and growing communities that add amenities for their residents, as well as visitors. Both counties are actively involved in infrastructure projects to pave the way for industrial and commercial development. For example, Autauga County has expanded the Interstate Business Park in Prattville with a large spec building and a commercial park area with 15 ready-tobuild sites. It also is bringing sewer and other infrastructure to the fastest-growing area of the county off Interstate 65. Also in Autauga County, the city of Prattville has ongoing projects that include a new engineering building and a new public safety building and has a $17 million renovation underway at the city-owned Stanley Jensen stadium, to develop new home stands, restrooms, locker room and more. Elmore County has partnered with
ELMORE COUNTY
Fishing tournaments in the area, like this one on Lake Jordan, had an economic impact of more than $2.4 million during 2022-2023, according to the Elmore County Economic Development Authority.
internet provider Central Access to provide broadband to schools, businesses and homes along 20 miles of corridors 500 feet wide, which can be expanded in the future. The Elmore County Board of Education also will provide some funding for school access and the project will be overseen by the Elmore County Economic Development Authority. These projects, along with other growth in retail and downtown redevelopment, are also bringing rooftops, with new housing underway. And another focus — tourism — is marking its growth here through the arts, sports and more. “We’ve shifted our focus in the past two years,” says Lisa Van Wagner, executive director of the Elmore County Economic Development Authority. “While we are recruiting industry and boosting existing ones, there is a major shift toward sports events, rodeos, fishing tournaments, national level events.” The ECEDA has been a marquee sponsor of many major events that have been
great for the county and have boosted the region’s economic impact. Recent ones include the Southern Rodeo Company 2023 Brush Poppers Cowboy Church Pro Rodeo, the Great Alabama 650 race, River Region Kayak Anglers Big Fish Challenge and the Alabama Crappie Trail State Championship. While HGTV put the city of Wetumpka on the map with its “Home Town Takeover,” which spurred continuing growth in the area plus a follow-up show that aired in December, it’s only part of the plan, says Lynn Weldon, Wetumpka’s economic development director. “We know HGTV will not last forever, and while we still get many visitors, over the years that will change,” Weldon says. “We have a lot to offer. We are blessed with tremendous beauty and a river, and we have a great quality of life here.” The city now has a tourism map and is hiring a tourism director to maximize the area’s exposure through bus tours and other opportunities, she says. “We are January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 47
S P O T L I G H T: OV E R V I E W
M E D I A N H O U S E H O L D I N CO M E Madison County: $71,153 Elmore County: $67,597 Baldwin County: $64,346 Autauga County: $62,660 Jefferson County: $58,330 Chilton County: $56,243 Montgomery County: $52,511 Mobile County: $51,169 Tallapoosa County: $50,652 Coosa County: $50,013 State of Macon County: $39,303 Alabama Dallas County: $34,957 $54,943 Lowndes County: $31,961 Source: U.S. Census Bureau
working to build a destination market organization to contain all of our tourism resources to be represented. We are everything tourism now.” In nearby Millbrook, the big ongoing project is 17 Springs, a multi-purpose project made possible by a partnership
P O P U L AT I O N Total Alabama Population: 5,074,296 Jefferson County: 665,409 Mobile County: 411,411 Madison County: 403,565 Baldwin County: 246,435 Montgomery County: 226,361 Elmore County: 89,563 Autauga County: 59,759 Chilton County: 45,884 Tallapoosa County: 40,977 Dallas County: 36,767 Macon County: 18,516 Coosa County: 10,166 Lowndes County: 9,777 Source: U.S. Census Bureau
among the city of Millbrook, Elmore County Commission, Elmore County Board of Education, Grandview YMCA and the Elmore County Economic Development Authority. Phase I recently opened, with 12 pickleball courts, 12 tennis courts, four multi-purpose fields,
a grass practice area, a grilling station, a lower pond for YMCA programming and a concession area as part of The Fields at 17 Springs. Phase II is under construction and will include a multi-use 86,000-squarefoot The Fieldhouse at 17 Springs, an indoor event venue that can be set up to handle large events, officials say. Below the fieldhouse will be a new stadium with a championship track and field area. Also coming is an 18-acre city-owned property named The Marketplace at 17 Springs for dining, hospitality, entertainment and shopping. Both counties have strong school systems that recently have boosted their career technical and academic offerings through new facilities to house careerspecific classrooms for their students. An EF3 tornado with winds of more than 150 miles-per-hour swept across the Old Kingston area of Autauga County and in parts of Elmore, Tallapoosa and Chambers counties on January 12, 2023, resulting in at least seven deaths. It caused widespread damage, and officials credit neighboring agencies for helping in several ways, hauling off storm debris and more, along with volunteers who helped. “Many surrounding counties came to our aid during this devastating time when we needed them the most,” says Kristi Pieper, director of economic and community development for Autauga County. Lori Chandler Pruitt is a freelance writer for Business Alabama. She lives in Birmingham.
48 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
Economic Engines
range of high-performance composite structures for a range of civil, military, commercial and space programs. TOURISM/ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
James Hardie, maker of fiber cement construction materials, is expanding in Prattville. INTERNATIONAL PAPER/AGRICULTURE
Agriculture, forestry and related industries generate an annual economic impact in Autauga County of about $915 million and 7,328 jobs, says Kristi Pieper, director of economic and community development. With 675 employees, International Paper’s (IP) Prattville containerboard mill is Autauga County’s largest manufacturing employer and is one of the world’s leading producers of fiber-based packaging, pulp and paper. The mill sits on about 6,700 acres and is part of IP’s industrial packaging division. The facility purchases pine and hardwood from throughout the region and manufactures linerboard that is used to make boxes to ship a variety of products worldwide. This division makes up 85% of IP’s total business.
B U S I N E S S DECEMBER 2023: HGTV airs a “Where Are They Now?” episode in Wetumpka, after the success of “Home Town Takeover,” where hosts Ben and Erin Napier renovated 12 homes and businesses in Wetumpka. NOVEMBER 2023: Elmore County economic developers are working to bring a replacement hospital to the county. NOVEMBER 2023: Guardian Credit Union announces it is
AUTOMOTIVE SUPPLIERS
With close proximity to automotive manufacturers in Alabama and neighboring states, this sector keeps growing. Both counties have a number of automotive suppliers among their largest employers, including Fras-Le North America Inc. and Kasai North America Inc. in Autauga County and Hanil USA, YESAC Corp. and AG Manufacturing in Elmore County. GKN AEROSPACE
Elmore County’s largest manufacturing employer, British-based GKN Aerospace, has two plants in Tallassee and is a major part of the region’s growing aerospace sector. GKN is recognized as one of the world leaders in the design, testing, manufacturing and assembly of a diverse
Since HGTV’s “Home Town Takeover” featuring Wetumpka aired in 2021 with the follow-up “Where Are They Now?” in December 2023, things have not slowed down for the region. But even with that success, sports, entertainment and retail/dining has always been a part of the area’s priorities. With all of that comes tourism — and that is growing. Elmore County is focused on the arts, creating venues for exhibits, events, classes and more. The city of Wetumpka is focusing on highlighting the tourism opportunities that exist in the area and is hiring a tourism director to direct those activities and develop a destination market organization that will help the area become a part of tour bus itineraries and more. Downtown Wetumpka has a new mosaic art installation, murals, an art wall and a new home for the Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission with a visitor center. More is coming. The city has a major sports complex that draws many types of sports and tournaments and recently added tennis and pickleball courts and a new splash pad. The city of Millbrook is pointing to the new 17 Springs, a project made
B R I E F S
moving its corporate headquarters from Montgomery to Prattville. NOVEMBER 2023: As part of a new economic development strategy, the Elmore County Economic Development Authority has been serving as marquee sponsor for several major events in the county, including fishing tournaments and rodeos, for the past two years.
OCTOBER 2023: The Wetumpka Crater Commission opens a visitor center downtown, recognizing the five-mile impact crater there.
in sewer expansion in the fastest growing area of the county at I-65 Exit 186, which includes Pine Level. It will be complete in spring 2024.
AUGUST 2023: New panels highlighting the Wetumpka Impact Crater are displayed on the city of Wetumpka’s art wall in The Alley. The artwork was created by local artist Hope Brannon.
OCTOBER 2023: Elmore County and internet provider Central Access have partnered to provide broadband to schools, businesses and homes along 20 miles of corridors 500 feet wide that can be expanded in the future.
OCTOBER 2023: The Autauga County Commission is investing
OCTOBER 2023: Autauga County schools completed a $3.9 million investment that includes an 18,000-square-foot expansion to its Autauga County Technology Center. SEPTEMBER 2023: Autauga County has a new town — Pine Level — after residents voted to incorporate. SEPTEMBER 2023: The Interstate Business Park in Prattville continues to grow with the opening
January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 49
S P O T L I G H T: ECO N O M I C E N G I N E S
Prattville, in Autauga County, is the site of the Robert Trent Jones Capitol Hill facility, part of the statewide RTJ Golf Trail. Both counties have a multitude of rivers, lakes and more natural resources that attract visitors and events. In the past two years, economic developers have focused on making tourism a major economic engine, sponsoring fishing tournaments and other events that bring in thousands of visitors.
Tennis courts, pickleball courts and more have opened at The Fields at 17 Springs.
DIVERSE MANUFACTURERS/SECTORS
possible by a partnership among the city of Millbrook, Elmore County Commission, Elmore County Board of Education, Grandview YMCA and the Elmore County Economic Development Authority. It is expected to create recreational, entertainment and retail opportunities. Phase I recently opened, with 12 pickleball courts, 12 tennis courts, four multi-purpose fields, a grass practice area, a grilling station, a lower pond for YMCA programming and a concession area as part of The Fields at 17 Springs. Phase II is under construction and will include the multi-use 86,000-square-foot The Fieldhouse at 17 Springs, an indoor event venue that can be set up to handle large events such as car or boat shows. It will have facilities for basketball, volleyball
B U S I N E S S of an expandable 50,000-square-foot industrial spec building. Also, a commercial park area opened with 15 ready-to-build commerce sites. SEPTEMBER 2023: The Alabama Department of Corrections is building a new men’s prison in Elmore County, slated to open in 2026, and is planning a new women’s prison in Wetumpka to replace Tutwiler.
and more; two champion diamond turf fields with a visitor/diamond complex concession/restroom building, and softball fields, officials say. Below the fieldhouse will be a bowlshaped 6,000-seat stadium for highschool sports and more along with a championship track-and-field area. It also will be able to handle concerts and other events. Millbrook also focuses on the arts, opening The Art Mill in a former residence. Also in Wetumpka is the Wind Creek Casino & Hotel, on the banks of the Coosa River. It employs more than 900 people and supports the community with meals for hospital workers, and donations to schools, hospitals and civic organizations.
Both counties have diverse manufacturers making everything from medical products to cement fiber building materials to water meters. In Autauga County, Medline Industries in Prattville makes medical products, James Hardie makes cement fiber and continues to grow, Kinedyne LLC makes cargo control equipment, Inteplast Engineered Films in Prattville makes polyethylene film, and MRaine Industries in Autaugaville bottles artesian well water and is undergoing a major expansion. In Elmore County, Madix Inc. in Eclectic makes store shelving, Neptune Technology Group makes water meters and AES Industries makes steel roof curbs. The Alabama Department of Corrections already employs more than 725 in Elmore County to support men’s and women’s prisons. Right now, the
B R I E F S
APRIL 2023: The new 17 Springs multiplex in Millbrook opens phase one, a tennis/ pickleball complex and four multipurpose fields. Phase two, with a stadium and other sports facilities, is under construction. AUGUST 2023: The new Tallassee High School opens, replacing the 100-year-old former high school. The $21 million school is almost a replica of the former high school but adds a 636-seat auditorium and
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a new band room, which also doubles as a storm shelter. JULY 2023: Autauga County schools appoints Lyman Woodfin principal. A veteran of the school system, he previously served as Marbury High School’s principal. JUNE 2023: MRaine Industries LLC, in Autaugaville, received a $7.8 million Food Supply Chain Guaranteed Loan Program from the USDA that will help the
artesian water bottler meet increased customer demand. It will double the size of the facility. APRIL 2023: The African American Entrepreneurs Association opens its first office/business incubator in downtown Wetumpka to help minorities and women develop businesses. MAY 2022: Central Alabama Community College signs a partnership agreement with Intel to help with the
development of artificial intelligence throughout the Southeast, the first such program in the state of Alabama and one of the first in the country. MARCH 2023: The town of Autaugaville opens a new $419,000 senior center and receives new rural transportation buses. OCTOBER 2022: Bella + Canvas, a Los Angeles-based apparel manufacturer with an emphasis on American-
TAXES PROPERTY TAX NOT INCLUDING SCHOOLS OR MUNICIPALITIES
AUTAUGA COUNTY: 10.5 mills (outside Prattville) 7.5 mills (inside Prattville) ELMORE COUNTY: 8.5 mills
STATE OF ALABAMA: 6.5 mills
SALES TAX AUTAUGA COUNTY: 2% Cities within the county:
AUTAUGAVILLE: 4% BILLINGSLEY: 3% PRATTVILLE: 3.5% ELMORE COUNTY: 1 % Cities within the county:
COOSADA: 5% DEATSVILLE: 1% ELMORE: 3% MILLBROOK: 4.5% ECLECTIC: 5% TALLASSEE (INSIDE ELMORE CO.): 5% WETUMPKA: 4% STATE OF ALABAMA: 4%
Source: Alabama Department of Revenue
DOC is building a replacement men’s prison in Elmore County, set to open in 2026, that will have more than 50 buildings and house 4,000 inmates. The state also has plans for a new women’s prison in Wetumpka to replace Tutwiler.
made products, opens a new fabric-cutting facility in Wetumpka. The $11.9 million investment is expected to create more than 500 jobs. The company is located in an 890,000-square-foot former Russell Brands building. SEPTEMBER 2022: Central Alabama Electric Cooperative, near Prattville, continues to lead the charge to provide lightningfast broadband access to businesses and residents in Autauga County and throughout the region. An $82.45 million grant was awarded to expand high-speed services.
Sources: Economic development officials January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 51
Largest Industrial Employers AUTAUGA COUNTY
International Paper Co. | PRATTVILLE Boxboard • 675 employees
Medline Industries | PRATTVILLE Medical products • 255 employees
James Hardie Building Products PRATTVILLE
Cement fiber • 233 employees
Kinedyne LLC | PRATTVILLE Cargo control equipment 150 employees
Fras-Le North America | PRATTVILLE Disc brakes • 67 employees
Kasai North America Inc. PRATTVILLE
Plastic injection molding • 65 employees
ELMORE COUNTY
GKN Aerospace | TALLASSEE
Aircraft composites • 1,100 employees
MADIX Inc. | ECLECTIC
Store shelving • 694 employees
Neptune Technology Group TALLASSEE
Water meters • 540 employees
Hanil USA | TALLASSEE
Brake wires • 330 employees
YESAC Corp. | TALLASSEE Automotive jigs and pallets 80 employees
AES Industries | TALLASSEE
Steel roof curbs • 74 employees
AG Manufacturing | WETUMPKA
Auto harness/antenna • 64 employees Source: Economic development officials
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Health Care AUTAUGA COUNTY PRATTVILLE BAPTIST HOSPITAL
Prattville Baptist Hospital is a part of Baptist Health, which is the largest health care system serving central Alabama, providing comprehensive hospital-based and outpatient services to residents in central Alabama. Baptist Health serves the community and local businesses with a wide range of services, from open-heart surgery and rehabilitative services to community outreach and support groups. Its radiology department, including outpatient diagnostics at Prattville Medical Park, provides advanced imaging services, including diagnostic, ultrasound, CT and MRI. Prattville Baptist also provides outpatient surgical services and offers a sleep disorders center.
Prattville Baptist Hospital.
ELMORE COUNTY COMMUNITY HOSPITAL, TALLASSEE
Community Hospital is a private, nonprofit health care facility with a full range of inpatient and outpatient services and is one of the area’s largest employers. The hospital provides 24-hour emergency services, medical and surgical care, critical care, cardiopulmonary, GI lab, therapy, imaging and specialty programs, including a 10-bed geriatric psych unit for patients with Alzheimer’s, dementia and similar conditions. The hospital also offers rehabilitative therapy, a program for substance abuse disorders, plus home health and hospice care. The hospital campus is also host to a broad range of primary and specialty care clinics and practices. In addition to providing health care to residents in Central Alabama, Community Hospital continues to serve as an affiliated partner with multiple medical schools, universities and colleges throughout the Southeast, providing preceptorship and training programs for medical and nursing students, interns, residents and other allied health professionals.
Community Hospital in Tallassee.
Elmore Community Hospital in Wetumpka. ELMORE COMMUNITY HOSPITAL
Elmore Community Hospital, in Wetumpka, is a division of Ivy Creek Healthcare. It provides several outpatient services such as X-ray, MRI, CT, digital mammogram, bone density and ultrasound. The hospital is equipped with a 24/7 ER.
ECH has an inpatient chemical dependency program that offers detoxification, stabilization and partial rehabilitation. ECH also houses a sleep disorders center. ECH also has River Oak Medical Complex in Wetumpka.
January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 53
Movers & Shapers SAMANTHA BRANTLEY is a certified
ophthalmic technician at Vision Center South. As a lifelong resident of Wetumpka, Brantley is active with the Main Street Wetumpka Promotions Committee, working to bring promotional events such as Galentine’s on Main and Christmas in July to downtown Wetumpka. Brantley was awarded the Main Street Hero Award for 2022-2023 by Main Street Alabama for her efforts and service.
was the managing director for the Wetumpka office. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Public Accountants and Alabama Society of CPAs. He is treasurer of the Main Street Wetumpka board, treasurer of the Wetumpka Gateway Development Corp. board and for the last 45 years treasurer at his church. He is a member of the Wetumpka Rotary Club and was recognized as a Paul Harris Fellow.
CLYDE CHAMBLISS JR., a graduate
MARQUIS FORGE, a native of
of the University of Alabama, is a licensed professional engineer and is serving his third term in the Alabama Senate. Chambliss served on the Autauga County Commission and the Prattville City Council. He is the principal engineer for Chambliss Engineering and provides services to local governments, developers and water systems. As Majority Whip for the Alabama Senate, he is responsible for managing bills on the Senate floor. JENNIFER EIFERT is executive
director of The Kelly Fitzpatrick Center for the Arts in Wetumpka. A Montgomery native, she traveled the world as a Navy wife before returning to Alabama. She spent a decade in the dental industry before returning to school and focusing on her love of the arts. As executive director, she has managed and led 12 exhibitions, two festivals, numerous classes, workshops and children’s activities. DENNIS G. FAIN is a retired CPA,
having worked for the accounting firm, Jackson Thornton for 43 years. He served 33 years as a principal in the firm and
Autaugaville, is founder and CEO of MRaine Industries LLC in Autaugaville. Attending the University of Alabama on an academic scholarship, he was a walk-on for the football team. After starting in the automotive industry, he and his team created MRaine Industries and moved into the bottled water industry, opening a $6.5 million green facility. In 2019, the Alabama Legislature designated MRaine’s Eleven86 Real Artesian Water as the official state water, and the plant is currently expanding. He is a licensed ordained apostle at Hurricane Baptist Church in Tuscaloosa and vice president of 100 Black Men of West Alabama. TIM L. GOTHARD is executive
director of the Alabama Wildlife Federation (AWF). A lifelong resident of Millbrook, Gothard is an Auburn University graduate. During his tenure, AWF developed the Alabama Nature Center in Millbrook, a 400-acre site with The NaturePlex educational facility. Gothard is a past president of the Prattville-Millbrook Sunrise Rotary Club and serves on the board of the Elmore County Economic Development Authority, Alabama
Forest Land Trust, Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association, National Wild Pig Task Force and the Alabama Sportsmen’s Foundation. He is a graduate of the Alabama Ag & Forestry Leaders Program and Leadership Alabama. HALEY N. GREENE is executive
director of Main Street Wetumpka. She is a graduate of Columbus State University in Georgia. Her passion for the Main Street program and small businesses began in 2017 in her role with Uptown Columbus Inc., a decades-old organization responsible for the revitalization initiatives in the uptown Columbus area. Greene moved back from Utah to the Southeast in 2021 and continued pursuing her passion for downtown revitalization and economic vitality. SARAH A. HILL is mayor of Tallassee
after serving on the city council. She focuses on economic development, using her expertise in project management, leadership development and stakeholder relationships to help the city. She holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from Troy University. She is a graduate of Leadership Elmore County and served on the board from 2012 to 2015. BILL MYERS is executive director of
the Grandview Family YMCA in Millbrook. During his tenure, the organization has had multiple expansions and renovations, growing from a $650,000 budget to a $2 million budget today. He earned undergraduate and graduate degrees from the University of Mississippi and served in the YMCA Movement for more than January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 55
S P O T L I G H T: M OV E R S & S H A PE R S
20 years at four YMCAs in three states. Recently, the YMCA partnered with the city to staff and operate its senior center and the 17 Springs project. Myers is past president of the Millbrook Men’s Club, the Millbrook Area Chamber of Commerce and the Prattville-Millbrook Sunrise Rotary Club. BRANDY MITCHELL is dean of
academic programs for Central Alabama Community College and is the administrator for CACC’s Prattville campus. She holds a master’s from Mississippi State University and has completed postgraduate work with Faulkner University. Mitchell began her work with CACC as an English instructor. During her faculty tenure, she led the college’s Quality Enhancement Plan and worked with Elmore County Technical Center to begin its dual enrollment program. She completed Auburn University’s Intensive Government and Economic Development Training course and is a graduate of Leadership Autauga. She is a member of the Prattville-Millbrook Sunrise Rotary and a Prattville Chamber Ambassador. DANAE MORGAN is director of the
newly formed city of Millbrook’s Cultural Arts & Special Events Department. She also is director of the Millbrook Art Mill, a community arts facility that opened in April 2023. She brings more than 24 years of arts administration gained through her tenure as the city of Montgomery’s cultural arts director and executive director of the Arts Council of Montgomery, as well as director of the Armory Learning Arts Center. Morgan graduated from Troy University.
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KRISTI PIEPER is the first economic
and community development director for Autauga County, where she has lived for more than 35 years. Earlier, she was marketing and communications director for the Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce. She is a graduate of the University of West Florida, with specialized credentials in economic development and leadership. Pieper is a member of the International Council of Shopping Centers; the Economic Development Association of Alabama, where she is serving on the 2024 Winter conference committee, and has served on the boards of several business and civic organizations. JAY THOMPSON is chairman of the
Autauga County Commission. He is the immediate past president of the Association of County Commissions of Alabama. Thompson serves on the boards of Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission, Central Alabama Aging Consortium, Autauga Montgomery Elmore Seniors, Mid-South RC&D and Montgomery MPO Policy Board. He is a graduate of Leadership Autauga County and Leadership Alabama. Thompson owned a residential construction and development company for 20 years, then served 10 years as construction coordinator for the Autauga County Board of Education and is now construction maintenance and transportation coordinator for JF Ingram State Technical College. LISA VAN WAGNER is executive
director of the Elmore County Economic Development Authority. She has been an attorney for more than 28 years specializing in representing businesses, employers and local governments. She grew up in Millbrook and attended
Elmore County Public Schools. She is a graduate of Auburn University and the Thomas Goode Jones School of Law, with additional economic development credentials. She also is a member of the Economic Development Association of Alabama, International Council of Shopping Centers and Wetumpka Rotary. BRYANT WHALEY is economic
development director for the city of Prattville. He holds undergraduate and master’s degrees from Jacksonville State University and is pursuing a doctorate from Liberty University. A former economic director for Randolph County, he holds certification from the Alabama City/ County Management Association and specialty credentials in economic development. He also serves on Gov. Kay Ivey’s Government and Public Administration Technical Advisory Committee of the Alabama Committee on Credentialing and Career Pathways. LYMAN WOODFIN is superintendent
of Autauga County Schools. He is a 17-year veteran of the school system, serving as a classroom teacher, coach and most recently as Marbury High School principal. At Marbury, he was credited with overhauling the curriculum, adding new vocational classes and championing many infrastructure improvements. He also served as an assistant principal at Prattville High School, where he also served as the Lions’ athletics director. He is a Huntingdon College graduate with a master’s from Auburn University Montgomery and has Instructional Leadership Certification from the University of West Alabama.
Community Development
Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama recently donated vehicles to the Autauga County Technology Center, which helps students prepare to enter the workforce.
AUTAUGA COUNTY Autauga County is working on a major sewer infrastructure project that will result in more economic and community development in one of the fastest-growing areas of the county, says Jay Thompson, chairman of the Autauga County Commission. The $4 million project is on Highway 31 at Interstate 65 exit 186, where the county owns two of the larger tracts of undeveloped land in the state, he says. “It is an expensive project, but we anticipate development once we bring sewer service there,” Thompson says. “This exit is the only one within Autauga County, and it’ll be good for us to offer opportunity for development.” The county is aggressively working to expand broadband, partnering with the state and Central Alabama Electric Cooperative and Central Access. Working in partnership with economic developers, the county also has developed Interstate Business Park, with 15 ready-to-build sites and a ready-to-occupy industrial spec building, he says. In addition, the county is doing other road improvements and replacing the roof on part of its courthouse and the jail, he says. And it recently completed updates for the R.H. Kirkpatrick Agricultural Arena. The county has a new municipality — Pine Level — whose residents voted to incorporate and held mayor and council elections in December 2023. Autauga County schools recently released its 2023-2028 strategic plan, Advancing Autauga County, that addresses areas including academic 58 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
advancement, providing a safe and healthy learning environment, quality personnel, fiscal responsibility and stakeholder relations. The year-long process included community input. The board also recently appointed Lyman Woodfin as its new superintendent. He is a 17-year veteran of the school system and most recently served as principal of Marbury High School. The school system invests heavily in its career technology programs, opening a new 18,000-square-foot, $3.9 million expansion at its technology center. It includes a new fire science area, new labs and classrooms, automotive bays, a robotics field and an updated welding space. The school system currently offers 14 of the 16 national career clusters to more than 1,900 students across the district. Other support for career tech includes Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama’s donation of $114,000 to expand the Hyundai Initiative for Robotics Excellence in Autauga County schools. The goal is to expand robotics teams at public schools. HMMA also donated three new vehicles to the tech center for the district’s automotive program. Other infrastructure projects include a new Prattville Kindergarten School, which should be finished by July 2024. Marbury High School completed an agribusiness expansion and added nine classrooms. Some schools in the district also will be getting new defibrillators and trauma kits in partnership with the Autauga County
Sheriff’s Office. And five schools were recognized as Purple Star Schools by the state for their commitment to students and families connected to the military. Prattville, the county seat, is adding playground equipment and other features at North Highland Park and renovating Newton Park, which has five new pickleball courts and five new tennis courts, says Mayor Bill Gillespie. The city already has a lot of fields for different sports and is constantly working on more. The city also is working on building a new engineering building at South Industrial Park and a new public safety building to go along with the existing training center at the West Industrial Park, Gillespie says. The city is looking at adding greenspace downtown and purchased a former bank building that it is renovating for future use. The city also is renovating its cityowned Stanley Jensen stadium that hosts high school, youth teams and travel soccer teams, Gillespie says. Renovations include new home stands, restrooms, locker rooms and more. It’s a $17 million project. Work has begun on 140 acres of housing near the main Prattville retail area, with the largest development at 315 lots. And The Mill at Prattville, being developed within the former Daniel Pratt cotton gin complex, is underway and will offer 127 living units with fitness center, clubhouse and outdoor areas. Tesla also recently placed new EV charging stations in the city. In the town of Autaugaville, a new senior center opened.
ELMORE COUNTY Elmore County has partnered with internet provider Central Access to provide broadband to schools, businesses and homes along 20 miles of corridors 500 feet wide, which can be expanded in the future. The Elmore County Board of Education also will provide some funding for school access and the project will be overseen by the Elmore County Economic Development Authority (ECEDA), says Lisa Van Wagner, executive director of the ECEDA. ECEDA has refocused on sports tournaments and large events that attract
S P O T L I G H T: CO M M U N I T I Y D E V E LO PM E N T
visitors to the area, furthering economic development. It also has partnered with the Elmore County Board of Education, the city of Wetumpka and the city of Millbrook for renovations at Hohenberg Field in Wetumpka and the creation of 17 Springs in Millbrook. Now the agency is looking to the cities of Eclectic, Holtville and Tallassee, asking residents what projects they are interested in. And the county is focusing on the possibility of building a replacement hospital in Elmore County, Van Wagner says. “All these things are catalysts for economic development,” Van Wagner says. “And it is good for residents and visitors.” Elmore County schools recently became one of only two Alabama public school systems to be recognized as Cognia’s System of Distinction. Cognia is the accrediting body that SACS and AdvanceEd merged into. The honor relies on observations of 30 standards in the areas of culture, leadership, engagement in the classroom and growth in learning. The system recently renovated the Elmore County Technical Center so that all students could learn in one facility and programs could expand. The facility includes the main office, drafting and design, teaching and training, IT and hospitality/tourism. Also, three new programs were added — culinary, cybersecurity and diesel technology. More than l,000 students participate in the programs. Wetumpka, the county seat, was the subject of Ben and Erin Napier’s “Home Town Takeover,” filmed in 2021. The show recently returned for a second “Where Are They Now?” episode so that fans can check in with familiar faces. The storyline focuses on the continued revitalization of the community and its focus on arts and events. It also included stories on a new coffee shop, Restoration 49 in the downtown area, Wow Café Catering, an expansion of an existing site in Eclectic with a Wetumpka native as chef and The Kelly Fitzpatrick Center for the Arts. Surrounding areas also benefitted from the show and its aftermath. In the original show, six homes and six commercial spaces
The Art Mill in Millbrook offers arts classes and more.
in downtown Wetumpka were remodeled, attracting tourists and more amenities to the area. The follow-up episode aired in December 2023. The city is revamping its Main Street with concrete medians, trees and more. And it is working to build a destination market organization that will contain all its tourism resources, says Lynn Weldon, the city’s economic development director. “We know HGTV will not last forever, and while we still get many visitors, over the years that will change,” Weldon says. “We have a lot to offer. We are blessed with tremendous beauty and a river, and we have a great quality of life here.” To that end, the city hired Stamp Idea Group and Yellow House Publications to help develop a plan to market the area to tourists and recruit hotels, and that resulted in a tourism map that identifies everything offered in Wetumpka, “including some things that we didn’t understand or realize,” Weldon says. “This is really going to help us not only to help residents and visitors identify what we have but also to enter the bus tour industry and offer other tourism opportunities.” The city is hiring a tourism director to oversee all of the city’s tourism efforts. “We are working to build a destination market organization to contain all of our tourism resources to be represented,” she says. “We are everything tourism now.” Wetumpka’s downtown has added a new mosaic by artist Linda Munoz on the stair risers from Main Street down to the Coosa River near the Bibb Graves
Bridge. The art installation, “Rumbling Waters,” is in an area that already has been enhanced with a mural and more. The city, which has been focusing on the arts for several years, also opened a new art wall in The Alley that contains 14 murals by local artist Hope Brannon that explain how the Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission was formed. It was funded by Gateway Development Corp., Alabama State Council on the Arts, the city, First Community Bank and River Bank and Trust. The city also opened the Wetumpka Impact Crater Discovery and Visitor Center on Company Street downtown. And Taste at the Fain Restaurant is coming soon downtown. Other improvements include a new splash pad, tennis and pickleball courts, and a Publix shopping center that is under construction. In nearby Millbrook, the big ongoing project is 17 Springs, a project made possible by a partnership among the city, Elmore County Commission, Elmore County Board of Education, Grandview YMCA and the Elmore County Economic Development Authority. The name 17 Springs comes from a historic art festival that was hosted decades ago on the YMCA property, and it will create recreational, entertainment and retail opportunities. Phase I recently opened, with 12 pickleball courts, 12 tennis courts, four multi-purpose fields, a grass practice (field) area, a grilling station, a lower pond for YMCA programming and a concession area as part of The Fields at 17 Springs. January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 59
S P O T L I G H T: CO M M U N I T Y D E V E LO PM E N T
Phase II is under construction and will include the 86,000-square-foot The Fieldhouse at 17 Springs, an indoor event venue big enough for car and boat shows, with facilities for indoor sports and more. Below the fieldhouse will be a 6,000seat stadium, plus track and field facilities for high school sports. The stadium also
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will be able to handle concerts and other events. “All of our fields have very nice synthetic turf so that we’ll have no rain delays here due to water,” says Ann Harper, the city’s economic development director. “This is a great facility. We are in the central part of the state and this is only one mile from Interstate 65,
boosting our sports tourism and the ability to host other events. This is a definite economic engine for our area.” Part of the development is an 18acre city-owned property named The Marketplace at 17 Springs, which will eventually be developed for dining, hospitality, entertainment and shopping. “You will see a huge difference in this area in the next two to three years,” Harper says. Another important development is Grandview Plaza, including a Publix shopping center, that should open in mid2024, says Millbrook Mayor Al Kelley. Millbrook has a goal of improving quality of life for its residents, with a community development initiative for amenities such as parks and festivals to enjoy. A year ago, the city hired a cultural arts director to develop new events and elevate existing ones, Harper says. Millbrook also has opened The Art Mill, a former residence that has been transformed for arts classes and more, she says. The city of Tallassee, an Alabama Communities of Excellence member, is undergoing improvements downtown. Utilities are being relocated to accommodate a new streetscape. The sewer lagoons have received a $4 million upgrade, readying the area for additional homes, businesses and manufacturing. The city also has almost completed a $1.1 million bond project aimed at replacing old cast iron gas mains along Gilmer Avenue, plus a newly announced $9.7 million grant from the Pipeline Hazardous Material and Safety Agency. The city also has improved its downtown water tank and the Tallaweka tank, adding a four-inch main in Riverside Heights to serve the newly built homes in the area. Tallassee also revitalized the wooden Funtastic Fort playground and added a new Jordanville park/playground. Its riverwalk makes the city’s natural beauty a great eco-tourism destination. Also, the new Tallassee High School opened, replacing a 100-year-old structure. The $21 million school, next to the old school site, is almost a replica of the former high school but adds a 636seat auditorium and a new band room, which also doubles as a storm shelter.
Higher Education
A
utauga and Elmore counties are located next door to several two-year and four-year colleges and universities in Montgomery County, including Huntingdon College, Alabama State University, Faulkner University, Troy University-Montgomery, Auburn University-Montgomery and Trenholm State Technical College. In-county facilities include: CENTRAL ALABAMA COMMUNITY COLLEGE – PRATTVILLE CAMPUS
Central Alabama Community College has a rich history and commitment to student success. It was established by consolidating Alexander City State Junior College and Nunnelley State Technical College in 1989. With the addition of the Talladega Center in 2006, the Pratt’s Mill Center in 2018, and the acquisition of East Memorial Baptist Church in December 2021 to create a larger, permanent campus in Prattville, CACC has continuously expanded its reach and impact. The Prattville campus has witnessed significant traditional and dual enrollment growth, prompting the college to further invest in its infrastructure and faculty. With an investment of $16.5 million in the Prattville campus and an additional $3 million planned for fiscal year 2024, CACC has added a nursing skills lab, a simulation lab and new welding lab. CACC takes pride in serving diverse communities within its service area. The Prattville campus offers local access to instruction and training for a rapidly growing population, many of whom are designated as underemployed. The college’s diverse degree programs, certifications and non-credit training equip students with the skills and knowledge required for today’s workforce. INGRAM STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE
J.F. Ingram State Technical College, in Elmore County, is the state’s sole education provider to incarcerated adults and juveniles sentenced as adults. The goal is to help them successfully return to their families and communities, as well as
Central Alabama Community College staff teach students at Autauga County Technology Center how to operate a skid steer.
the workforce. Ingram, a two-year institution and a member of the Alabama Community College System, is accredited by the Council on Occupational Education. It offers 20 credit and non-credit technical training programs, industry certification, preparation and testing for the GED, adult education and life skills training.
Ingram has three campuses in Elmore County — the main campus in Deatsville, Draper Instructional Service Center in Elmore and Tutwiler Instructional Service Center in Wetumpka. In total, Ingram serves 17 Alabama prisons in 20 counties and 12 Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Parole facilities.
J.F. INGRAM STATE TECHNICAL COLLEGE, IN ELMORE COUNTY, IS THE STATE’S SOLE EDUCATION PROVIDER TO INCARCERATED ADULTS AND JUVENILES SENTENCED AS ADULTS. THE GOAL IS TO HELP THEM SUCCESSFULLY RETURN TO THEIR FAMILIES AND COMMUNITIES, AS WELL AS THE WORKFORCE. January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 61
Culture & Recreation festivities and events: AUTAUGA WILSON PICKETT MUSIC & ARTS FESTIVAL — April | Prattville CITYFEST — May | Prattville DINNER IN THE DISTRICT Fall | Prattville ARTISTS ON MAIN — October | Prattville MAIN STREET CHRISTMAS December | Prattville
Wetumpka Impact Crater. Concert at the Village Green in Millbrook.
AUTAUGA COUNTY ONLY IN AUTAUGA
Fill a plastic jug with free-flowing artesian well water at Heritage Park in Prattville, which once was dubbed “The Fountain City” because of its many artesian wells. VISIT HISTORY
Downtown Prattville is home to the Daniel Pratt Historic District, one of the original “master planned communities.” Designed by Daniel Pratt in the 1830s, the area was planned for manufacturing, retail, churches, schools and residences. The Autauga County Heritage Association conducts guided historic walking tours of downtown. Walk through the Daniel Pratt Gin Co., once among the largest in the world. Many of the industrial buildings have been repurposed as loft apartments. Prattaugan Museum/Heritage Center, in a circa 1840 Greek Revival house, displays artifacts from the Daniel Pratt family and other early Autauga County settlers. Old Prattvillage & Prattvillage 62 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
Garden includes the relocated historic Mims Hotel and Slaton House. Buena Vista, built around 1830, was the county’s first on the National Register of Historic Places. Legend has it that Andrew Jackson patterned the staircase at The Hermitage after that at Buena Vista. Pratt Cemetery, off Gin Shop Hill Road, dates to 1849 and includes graves of Daniel Pratt and some of his family and noted artist John W. Gulick (1805-1847). FLOAT YOUR BOAT
There are 13 miles of canoeing, kayaking and tubing on the Autauga Creek National Recreational Trail. RELAX AT THE PARK
Pratt Park, with its pond, walking trail, amphitheater and more, won Coca-Cola Live Positively honors and a splash pad in 2012. Cooters Pond, on the banks of the Alabama River, has boat ramps, a riverwalk, picnic facilities, space for kite flying and other family activities, plus a dog park and a See, Pick and Eat Nut Grove. Giant bamboo forms a canopy in the sky at the Wilderness Park/Bamboo Forest, the first wilderness park dedicated inside the city limits in the U.S. It’s also home to the state’s second-largest beech tree. Heritage Park is a great place to check out the Autauga Creek dam, millpond and the Daniel Pratt industrial buildings.
ELMORE MARDI GRAS FESTIVAL AND PARADE February/March | Millbrook COOSA RIVER WHITEWATER FESTIVAL May | Wetumpka WEWA WILDLIFE ARTS FESTIVAL November | Wetumpka
SEE THE BIRDS
The Autauga Bluebird Trail features more than 230 nesting boxes in Autauga and Elmore counties, offering a great chance to see bluebirds and other birds. BASK IN THE SUNFLOWERS
Each July, the blossoms at the Autauga County Sunflower Field in Autaugaville offer a brilliant display. APPRECIATE THE ARTS
Prattville Cultural Arts Center features a gallery of local artists, art classes and children’s programs in its home along Autauga Creek. CATCH A SHOW
Since 2002, the Prattville Way Off Broadway Theatre has presented productions, all with local talent. WALK THE CREEK
Established in 2006, the Prattville Creekwalk runs along the Autauga Creek and features a small garden with picnic tables, a gazebo and an artesian well, with concerts along the creek each summer. APPRECIATE THE AGRICULTURE
R.H. Kirkpatrick Agricultural Arena offers activities from rodeos to dog agility trials and motocross racing.
S P O T L I G H T: C U LT U R E A N D R EC R E AT I O N
FLEA MARKET FUN
Prattville Pickers showcases the wares of more than 300 vendors in a huge indoor market that once housed a sewing factory. Nearby Memories Flea Antique Mall and J&G’s offer the goods of even more vendors. TEE IT UP
Capitol Hill & Prattville Marriott at Capitol Hill is the area’s stop on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, with three 18-hole championship courses on 1,500 acres. The private Prattville Country Club also features an 18-hole golf course.
ELMORE COUNTY ONLY IN ELMORE
See the transformation of Wetumpka’s downtown after a visit from HGTV’s “Home Town Takeover.” The city has added a coffee shop, retail shop and restaurant and boasts the six homes and business renovated during the show.
Autauga County along the river. DROP A LINE
The Tallapoosa and Coosa rivers join to form the Alabama here, and Lake Martin and Lake Jordan are considered two of Alabama’s cleanest lakes. Lake Jordan has hosted several B.A.S.S. tournaments.
and canoe enthusiasts. The Alabama Bass Trail features 11 of Alabama’s premiere bass-fishing lakes, including Lake Jordan and stretches from the mountains of North Alabama south to the Mobile Delta.
VISIT HISTORY
CATCH A SHOW
Jackson Lake Island, on the south side of Millbrook, was featured in the 2003 film “Big Fish.” It’s privately owned and offers hiking, canoeing, camping and fishing, along with a herd of resident goats.
Elmore County Museum, once the community’s post office, preserves area artifacts and showcases Elmore County’s cultural heritage. Elmore County Black History Museum, once housed the only high school for African Americans in the area, tells the stories of Black residents. It also houses the “Thread My Needle” quilts made by local quilters. Fort Toulouse/Fort Jackson National Historic Park showcases history from Creek Indian times to military forts and homesteads. Alabama Frontier Days at the Park features demonstrations of frontier crafts and trades.
ARTS ABOUND
BET ON IT
MAKE AN IMPACT
The new Wetumpka Impact Crater Discovery and Visitor Center offers a glimpse of the five-mile-wide impact crater, one of the best preserved in the world, but located mostly on private land. FAMOUS PLACES
Stroll along the Coosa River and see outdoor sculptures, local art galleries, the works of John Kelly Fitzpatrick and more in Historic Downtown Wetumpka. In Millbrook, city leaders and local artists collaborated to create the Millbrook Murals. Also in Millbrook, The Art Mill features work of local artists and offers a variety of classes. SPORTS RESOUND
Wetumpka Sports Complex is ready for action with youth baseball and softball, college track and field, and more. The city also offers archery, catch-and-release fishing, tennis and pickleball — plus playgrounds just for fun. Newest are the tennis and pickleball facilities at 17 Springs in Millbrook, with other sports facilities in the works.
Wind Creek Wetumpka, along the Coosa River, features an 85,000-squarefoot gaming floor with more than 2,000 games, plus a hotel, restaurants, entertainment and more. TAKE A HIKE
The Wetumpka Riverwalk follows the Coosa River. The Swayback Bridge Trail is great for biking or running, with tight technical sections and steep climbs. FLOAT YOUR BOAT
The Alabama Scenic River Trails accommodate small boats along the Coosa and Alabama Rivers extending from Northwest Georgia, through Wetumpka to Mobile and the Gulf. The stretch between Lake Jordan Dam and Wetumpka includes class II and III rapids — great for novice and experienced kayak
Wetumpka Depot Theater, formed to save the city’s historic train depot, has evolved into a renowned community theater that performs original plays, moving dramas and Broadway favorites. Millbrook Community Players perform community theater in the refurbished Robinson Springs Elementary School, which was built in the 1920s. GO TO THE PARK
Gold Star Park on the banks of the Coosa River offers a walking trail, playground, boat landing and more. Village Green Park in Millbrook has a walking path, recreation areas and a gazebo. SEE THE BIRDS
Piedmont Plateau Birding Trail has 40 sites, from Alabama’s highest mountain to the shores of Lake Martin. The trail includes two viewing locations at Gold Star Park and Fort Toulouse/Fort Jackson, with a variety of habitats and elevated sections. ENJOY NATURE
The Alabama Nature Center, on the Lanark Estate in Millbrook, is operated by the Alabama Wildlife Federation, with indoor and outdoor programs, plus 350 acres of forest, field and garden land. TEE IT UP
The 18-hole course at the Pines Golf Club in Millbrook is city-owned, featuring 6,318 yards of golf. January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 63
Company Kudos
by ERICA JOINER WEST
FEBRUARY Building Alabama A Look at the Construction Industry Enjoying Alabama Exploring Tourism and the Great Outdoors Planning the Perfect Meeting The Mobile Chamber of Commerce has been awarded a five-star accreditation from the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, the highest level of accreditation available. The chamber is one of 146 chambers nationwide and one of only three in Alabama to carry the designation. The chamber was first accredited in 1966.
Alabama Stone Works, of Birmingham, is celebrating its 15th anniversary. The company fabricates and installs countertops. The Anniston Fire Department has maintained its Class 2 Insurance Services Office rating, ranking within the top 1% of fire departments in the country. The Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders has received its 11th President’s Trophy from the Home Builders Association of Alabama. The Mercedes GLE SUV has earned a Top Safety Pick+ award from the Insurance Institute for Highway Safety. The GLE is made in Vance. Regions Bank has been designated a Silver 2024 Military Friendly Employer by Military Friendly. Shelby County has been designated as an Innovative Community by the Innovate Alabama Network. The University of Alabama at Birmingham has been named a 2023 Innovation and Economic Prosperity
University awardee. In addition, the university’s Department of Radiation Oncology has obtained accreditation from the American Society for Radiation Oncology for the Hazelrig-Salter Radiation Oncology Center and The Kirklin Clinic at Acton Road. Robins & Morton has been honored by Auburn University’s College of Architecture, Design and Construction with the 2023 Legacy Award. Torch Technologies was ranked the 100th largest majority employee-owned company on the National Center for Employee Ownership 2023 Employee Ownership 100 list. White-Spunner Construction has earned the Accredited Quality Contractor certification, one of 17 contractors in Alabama to receive the certification. Two Alabama firms make the 2023 Best Firms for Young Accountants list, ranked by Accounting Today. They are Wilkins Miller, of Mobile, which came in at no. 4; and Anglin Reichmann Armstrong, of Huntsville, which came in at no. 10.
Geographic Spotlight: Fayette, Lamar & Marion Counties
MARCH The 2024 Business Alabama Awards Automotive Rolls in Alabama Credit Unions Across Alabama Geographic Spotlight: Choctaw, Clarke, Conecuh, Escambia & Monroe Counties Check BusinessAlabama.com for daily business headlines and additional content
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January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 65
RETROSPECT
Working on the Railroad Charles T. Pollard was Alabama’s train pioneer
R
By SCOTTY E. KIRKLAND
eaders of a certain age may recall the series of illustrated American History books published by TimeLife in the latter part of the 20th Century. Between those dark-brown covers were innumerable tales of how the nation and its industry came to be. Published in 1973, the cover of the volume “The Railroaders” featured a color lithograph depicting a Union Pacific locomotive highballing through the mountainous California wilderness. Puffs of black coal smoke
ABOVE: The L&N freight depot in Montgomery in 1887. The depot, acquired by L&N in 1874, was built by Charles Pollard. LEFT: Tracks and a turntable at a Montgomery railyard around 1880. Photos courtesy of the Alabama Department of Archives and History.
break up the greens and blues of the bucolic scene. The book’s first chapter was entitled “A work of visionaries — or of fools?” and began with a photograph of a lone surveyor standing in an incomplete railroad bed, imagining what it would one day become. Scenes from Alabama’s earliest railroad history were a far cry from such romantic depictions. Still, there were railroaders here, men described as both visionaries and fools, who worked to crisscross the landscape of the young 66 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
R E T RO S PE C T
state. In the first generation after ward, lending his name to an effort statehood, the dean of Alabama railto extend a rail route to coastal roaders was Montgomery’s Charles Florida. In the early spring of T. Pollard. Many of the modern 1857, he drove in the ceremonial routes of south Alabama railroads first spike for the new Alabama came about because of his efforts. & Florida Railroad. Crews from As railroad historian Wayne Cline Montgomery and Pensacola laid noted, Pollard “saw the shape of track toward each other. They met America’s railway system and placed in 1861, building a station on the Alabama squarely in its path.” Alabama side of the border, at a He was born into a patrician Virnewly created company town in ginia family in 1805. At the age of present-day Escambia County. They 19, Pollard traded a comfortable life named the town Pollard. as a bookkeeper to pursue his own The destruction wrought by fortunes. After a few years in South the Civil War descended upon the Carolina, he arrived in Montgomtycoon in both his personal and Portrait of Charles T. Pollard ery in the late 1820s and began professional life. Pollard’s eldest son, by Joseph T. Moore, one making a name for himself in the Joseph, died in January 1863 from of Alabama’s preeminent riverfront town. In 1834, he joined wounds sustained during the Battle portraitists, circa 1835. Courtesy of Alabama the board of a railroad company of Stones River in Murfreesboro, Department of Archives determined to link Montgomery Tennessee. “I strive to take it with and History. with West Point, Georgia. Pollard proper fortitude,” Pollard wrote became the company’s president a to his daughter, “but it is a deep few years later and held the position affliction.” In the final years of the for more than three decades. conflict, Pollard tried in vain to keep his railroad assets from the When available capital proved insufficient to build the road, hands of advancing Union troops. Most of his railcars, tracks Pollard and a few other investors leveraged their own real estate and bridges were damaged either by fire or “the liberal use of holdings to secure enough money to keep laying track. Coming the sledge hammer,” as one observer noted. amidst the financial panic of 1837, the move was no doubt seen In 1866, to repair his damaged stock and complete his line as foolish by many observers — and an act of utter insanity to Selma, Pollard appealed to northern financiers for assiswhen they did it again just five years later. tance. For some southerners this was a bitter pill, indeed. Still, But faith in the Montgomery & West Point Railroad bore Pollard’s determination to link Selma and Montgomery was fruit, albeit slowly. Workers completed a 35-mile portion of endorsement enough for most detractors. “We want no better the line between the Macon County town of Franklin and assurance that a railroad will be completed than to know that Montgomery in 1840. Receipts and contracts began to flow. its interests are under the direction and control of this indefatFarmers could ship a cotton bale weighing up to 500 pounds to igable man,” wrote the editors of one Montgomery newspaper. Montgomery for 85 cents. In 1843, the Alabama Legislature apWhen the line was finally completed in 1870, Pollard’s railroad proved a loan of pass-through federal funds of $120,000 (nearly ran unbroken from Selma to West Point. Four years later, his $4 million today) to complete the line all the way to West Alabama & Florida Line consolidated with the Mobile and Point. Pollard used some of that money to purchase enslaved Great Northern Railroad. The merger created an uninterrupted laborers to build the road. By 1860, he held nearly 120 men route linking Alabama’s capital with its port city. The mighty and women in human bondage. Louisville & Nashville Railroad later acquired the line. The full line went into operation on May 1, 1851, after 15 His railroad successes afforded Pollard the trappings of years of construction. One Montgomery newspaper called it the excess. He built a fine Montgomery mansion a few blocks from “first road of any consequence ever constructed in the State.” his station. And he gave liberally to establish St. John’s EpiscoIn 1852, Pollard’s railroad transported 35,500 passengers and pal Church in Montgomery and the University of the South, at 33,000 bales of cotton. A branch line running from Opelika Sewanee, Tennessee. to Columbus, Georgia, was completed in 1854. The receipts Charles T. Pollard died on Jan. 10, 1888. The courts and continued to grow. public buildings in Montgomery were closed on the day of Still, Pollard wanted more. He envisioned Montgomery as a his funeral. For 30 days thereafter, the mighty engines that regional rail hub. He started by founding the Western Rail Road traversed the southern railways he helped make a reality were Company of Alabama with a plan to build a line to Selma, draped in black bunting to mourn the passing of this visionary where it would connect with the successful Alabama & MissisAlabama railroader. sippi Line. Prominent businessmen including Danial Pratt and Bolling Hall signed on as his partners in the endeavor. Historian Scotty E. Kirkland is a freelance contributor to Business Alabama. As his new western route took shape, Pollard looked southHe lives in Wetumpka. January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 67
Career Notes
by ERICA JOINER WEST
LEANNE GOODE
MEG HAMPTON
KAVITHA HICHKAD
ANDREW LABOSIER
TOM HOULIHAN
LYNDA DARBY
JENNIFER SMITH
LORI HALL
DAVE LYDER
MIKE ESPOSITO
JACK KIMBROUGH JR.
DAVID LOPER
SCOTT ADAMS
AUSTIN GOLSON
MATTHEW VAUGHN
RICKY WILSON
ACCOUNTING
Anglin Reichmann Armstrong PC has promoted LeAnne Goode, Meg Hampton, Kavitha Hichkad and Andrew Labosier to partner. Tom Houlihan, managing director of Mauldin & Jenkins, has been promoted to lead the firm’s Transaction Advisory Services practice. Michael Kintz, a partner with Wilkins Miller, has been appointed to the National Association of State Boards of Accountancy 2023-24 Administration & Finance Committee.
BANKING
Lynda Darby has been promoted to business development officer for Lauderdale, Colbert and Franklin counties for Bank Independent. Jennifer Smith has been promoted to business development officer for Lawrence, Limestone and Morgan counties. In addition, Lori Hall, vice president comptroller for the bank, has completed the Graduate School of Banking at the Executive Development Institute for Community Bankers in Colorado.
Regions Bank has promoted Dave Lyder to group leader for Ascentium Capital, a division of Regions that streamlines financial support for specialized business equipment, technology, commercial vehicles and other small-business needs.
Loper vice president of community engagement and executive director of the Protective Life Foundation. In addition, Protective Life has named Scott Adams executive vice president, chief transformation and strategy officer.
DISTRIBUTION
Austin Golson, of Palomar Insurance Corp., has been named Sentry’s 2023 Producer of the Year.
Motion, a distributor of maintenance, repair and operation replacement parts, has named Mike Esposito group vice president, Motion Automation Intelligence.
EDUCATION
The University of Alabama Center for Business and Economic Research has added Darlene Thompson and Nancy Beggs as assistant research professionals.
ENGINEERING
Jack Kimbrough Jr. has been promoted to branch manager in the Huntsville office of Sain Associates. Kimbrough succeeds Harry Wilson, who will now focus on general business development and strengthening Sain’s airport market sector team.
HEALTH CARE
Flowers Hospital CEO Jeff Brannon has been appointed to the American Hospital Association’s Regional Policy Board in Region 4, which includes Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Mississippi, South Carolina, Tennessee, Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
INSURANCE
Protective Life Corp. has named David 68 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
LEGAL
Swift, Currie, McGhee & Hiers LLP has promoted Brandon Clapp and Murray Flint to partners in the firm’s Birmingham office. Matthew Vaughn, of Hand Arendall Harrison Sale, has been named a Top 40 Under 40 Black Lawyers in Alabama by the National Black Lawyers organization.
LOBBYING
Marty Irby, a native of Mobile and founder and president of Capitol South, has been named to The Hill’s list of Top Lobbyists for 2023.
REAL ESTATE
David Sturdivant has been named president of Russell Lands Inc. He previously served as chief financial officer. Tom Lamberth has stepped down from the role of president and CEO and will transition to executive chairman. Holiday Eastdale Estates, a senior living community in Montgomery, has presented maintenance technician Ricky Wilson the 2023 Exceptional Service Award.
Index
A guide to businesses (bold) and individuals (light) mentioned in this month’s issue of Business Alabama.
100 Black Men of West Alabama.......................55
Armory Learning Arts Center.............................55
Chambliss Engineering....................................55
Fras-Le North America Inc............................ 49, 52
16th Street Baptist Church, Birmingham.............6
Art Mill, The....................................49, 55, 58, 62
Chambliss, Clyde Jr......................................................55
Full Moon BBQ...................................................8
17 Springs, Millbrook................ 47, 49, 55, 58, 62
Arts Council of Montgomery.............................55
Christmas in July, Wetumpka...........................55
Galentine’s on Main, Wetumpka.......................55
Accounting Today Magazine..............................65
Ascentium Capital............................................68
City Walk BHM...................................................8
Gateway Development Corp..............................58
Adams, Scott.................................................................68
Associated Builders and Contractors....................5
Clapp, Brandon.............................................................68
Gillespie, Bill................................................................58
Admiral Hotel, Mobile........................................6
Association of American Medical Colleges...........6
Clevenger, Josh............................................................34
GKN Aerospace........................................... 49, 52
Adtran Holdings Inc........................................5, 8
Association of County Commissions of Alabama.............................55
Cline, Wayne................................................................66
Gold Star Park, Wetumpka................................62
Clotilda Exhibition.............................................6
Golson, Austin..............................................................68
Coastal 150........................................................5
Goode, LeAnne.............................................................68
Coastal Business Alliance....................................5
Goodwyn Mills and Cawood................................9
Coca-Cola Co.....................................................62
Gothard, Tim.................................................................55
Columbus State University................................55
Grandview Family YMCA, Millbrook...................................47, 49, 55, 58
Aerojet Rocketdyne............................................8 AES Industries............................................ 49, 52 African American Entrepreneurs Association......49 AG Manufacturing...................................... 49, 52 Agarwal, Anupam.........................................................39 AI-Ops Inc...........................................................8 AIDT...................................................................9
Auburn University...................................... 34, 55 Auburn University Montgomery........... 55, 61, 65 Austal USA............................................... 7, 8, 10 Austin, Lloyd...................................................................8 Autauga Bluebird Trail......................................62 Autauga County................................... 47, 49, 58
Community Hospital, Tallassee.........................53
Grandview Plaza, Millbrook..............................58
Conde Nast Traveler............................................6
Greater Birmingham Association of Home Builders........................................65
Conference Board, The......................................31
Greene, Haley...............................................................55
Cooters Pond....................................................62
Guardian Credit Union......................................49
Council on Occupational Education....................61
Gulf Coast Eco Center..........................................6
Autauga Montgomery Elmore Seniors...............55
Creek Indian Enterprises Development Authority.................................7
Gulf Distributing Holdings.................................8
Autaugaville, Town of................................. 49, 58
Croux Inc............................................................8
Averitt Express...................................................8
Cultural Arts & Special Events, Millbrook...........55
Bank Independent................................... 7, 8, 68
Dale Partners.....................................................7
Baptist Health..................................................53
Daleville High School.........................................8
Baxter Healthcare Corp.......................................8
Daniel Foundation..............................................6
Bedsole Foundation...........................................6
Daniel Pratt Gin Co...........................................62
Beggs, Nancy................................................................68
Daniel Pratt Historic District..............................62
Bella + Canvas.................................................49
Darby, Lynda.................................................................68
Big Fish, Film...................................................62
David Christopher’s............................................8
BioCryst Pharmaceuticals...................................6
Davis, Noopur.................................................................8
Bishop, Tiffany..............................................................43
Dent, Jen......................................................................39
Alabama Farmers Federation............................34
BL Harbert International.....................................8
Discovery Life Sciences.......................................8
Alabama Forest Land Trust................................55
Blue Cross and Blue Shield of Alabama Caring Foundation...........................6
Domestique Coffee.............................................8
Airbus Americas...........................................6, 10 Alabama & Florida Railroad..............................66 Alabama & Mississippi Line..............................66 Alabama A&M University..................................34 Alabama Ag & Forestry Leaders Program...........55 Alabama Bass Trail...........................................62 Alabama Black Belt Adventures Association.......55 Alabama Bureau of Pardons and Parole.............61 Alabama City/County Management Association.............................55 Alabama Committee on Credentialing and Career Pathways..............55 Alabama Community College System................61 Alabama Crappie Trail.......................................47 Alabama Department of Commerce.................5, 9 Alabama Department of Corrections .................49 Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs................................34
Alabama Gulf Coast Recovery Council..................6 Alabama Industrial Development Training..........7 Alabama Legislature................................... 55, 66 Alabama Mining Association...............................5
Autauga County Board of Education............ 55, 58
Comcast Inc........................................................8
Autauga County Commission...................... 55, 58 Autauga County Heritage Association................62 Autauga County Sunflower Field.......................62 Autauga Creek National Recreational Trail.........62
Blue Origin LLC..................................................6 Bonner, Jo................................................................6, 10 Braided River Brewing Co.................................34 Brannon, Hope.......................................................49, 58
Dow, Mike.....................................................................10 Dynetics Inc........................................................7 Eastern Shore Chamber of Commerce..................5 Eclectic, City of .................................................58
Gulf State Park...................................................6 Gulick, John W..............................................................62 Hall, Bolling..................................................................66 Hall, Lori.......................................................................68 Hampton, Meg.............................................................68 Hand Arendall Harrison Sale.............................68 Hanil USA................................................... 49, 52 Harper, Ann..................................................................58 Hartzell Engine Technologies..............................7 Hazelrig-Salter Radiation Oncology Center........65 Heritage Park, Prattville...................................62 HGTV...............................................47, 49, 58, 62 Hibbett Sporting Goods Inc...............................31 Hichkad, Kavitha...........................................................68 Hill, Sarah ....................................................................55 Hill, The...........................................................68 Hillyer, Quin.................................................................10 Hoar Program Management................................8
Brannon, Jeff................................................................68
Economic Development Association of Alabama................................55
Brantley, Samantha......................................................55
Eifert, Jennifer..............................................................55
Holtville, City of...............................................58
Bridge Stret Town Centre, Huntsville...................6
Elmore Community Hospital.............................53
Home Builders Association of Alabama.............65
Brookings Institution.......................................43
Elmore County..................................... 47, 49, 58
Home Town Takeover, HGTV Show....47, 49, 58, 62
Buc-ee’s Convenience Store.................................5
Elmore County Black History Museum...............62
Homewood High School...................................39
Buena Vista Historic Home, Prattville................62
Elmore County Board of Education........ 47, 49, 58
Hoover, City of...................................................6
Alabama Sportsmen’s Foundation.....................55
Burton, Barbara............................................................39
Houlihan, Tom..............................................................68
Alabama State Council on the Arts.....................58
Byars|Wright......................................................8
Elmore County Economic Development Authority..............47, 49, 55, 58
Alabama State Senate.......................................55
Byrne, Bradley..............................................................10
Alabama State University..............................8, 61
Cagle, Patrick..................................................................5
Alabama Stone Works.......................................65
Cahaba Fire Co....................................................8
Alabama Wildlife Federation...................... 55, 62
Canfield, Greg.................................................................5
Alexander City State Junior College..................61
Canvas Inc..........................................................7
Alley, The, Wetumpka.......................................58
Capital South...................................................68
American Apparel...............................................7
Capitol Hill Golf Course............................... 49, 62
Executive Development Institute for Community Bankers...............................68
American Association of Retired Persons.............8
Carpenter, Josh.............................................................39
Fain, Dennis .................................................................55
Insurance Institute for Highway Safety..............65
American Fireworks............................................7
Castile, Ed.......................................................................9
Faulkner University.................................... 55, 61
Intel Corp.........................................................49
American Hospital Association..........................68
CCR Architecture.................................................6
Federal Energy Regulatory Commission..............8
Inteplast Engineering Films..............................49
American Institute of Certified Public Accountants.......................................55
Central Access...................................... 47, 49, 58
Federal Reserve................................................31
International Council of Shopping Centers........55
Central Alabama Aging Consortium..................55
International Paper Co................................ 49, 52
American School Counselor Association...............8
First Community Bank......................................58
Central Alabama Community College................55
Interstate Business Park, Prattville........ 47, 49, 58
American Society for Radiation Oncology..........65
Fite Construction................................................6 Fitzpatrick, John Kelly...................................................62
Irby, Marty....................................................................68
Amtrak..............................................................6
Central Alabama Community College - Prattville Campus.......................................................61 Central Alabama Electric Cooperative.......... 49, 58
Ivey, Gov. Kay..................................................6, 9, 10, 55
Anglin Reichmann Armstrong PC................ 65, 68
Flint, Murray.................................................................68
Central Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission...........................55
Ivy Creek Healthcare.........................................53
Anniston Fire Department................................65
Flowers Hospital..............................................68 Forestwood Farm................................................7
J.D. Power & Associates.......................................5
Central Baldwin Chamber of Commerce..............5
Forge, Marquis.............................................................55
J.F. Ingram State Technical College....................61
Central High School, Tuscaloosa........................43
Fort Toulouse/Fort Jackson National Historic Park..................................62
J&G’s Flea and Antique.....................................62
Foster, Walton...............................................................39
Jackson Thornton.............................................55
Alabama Nature Center, Millbrook.............. 55, 62 Alabama Power Co..........................................5, 6 Alabama Power Foundation................................8 Alabama Robotics Technology Park.....................9 Alabama Scenic River Trails...............................62 Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants.......................................55
Apex Roofing & Restoration................................6 Arab Chamber of Commerce...............................8 Arab Education Foundation.................................8 Arab Electric Cooperative....................................8
Cerrowire LLC.....................................................8 Chalker Group..................................................39
Elmore County Museum...................................62 Emily’s Heirloom Pound Cakes............................8 Endo International...........................................31 Enviva Inc..........................................................7 Esposito, Mike..............................................................68 Essnova Solutions..............................................8
Holiday Eastdale Estates...................................68
HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology......8, 34 Huntingdon College................................... 55, 61 Huntsville Hospital Foundation..........................8 Hurricane Baptist Church, Tuscaloosa................55 Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama... 5, 8, 58 In-Staff Personnel.............................................43 Indulgence Spa and Salon, Prattville.................71 Innovate Alabama Network..............................65
Jackson Lake Island..........................................62
January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 69
INDEX
Jacksonville State University............................55
Montgomery MPO Policy Board........................55
Regions Bank............................................. 65, 68
U.S. Department of Labor..............................7, 31
James Hardie Industries Plc........................ 49, 52
Montgomery Whitewater...................................8
Regions Financial...............................................8
U.S. Missile Defense Agency................................6
Jenkins, Jo Ann..............................................................8
Morgan, Danae.............................................................55
Reli Title............................................................6
U.S. Navy...........................................................7
Jennings Professional Services...........................7
Motion Industries............................................68
Restoration 49 Coffee Shop...............................58
UMS/Wright.....................................................10
JF Ingram State Technical College.....................55
MRaine Industries LLC................................ 49, 55
River Bank and Trust.........................................58
Union Pacific Railroad.......................................66
Jones, Sam...................................................................10
Munoz, Linda................................................................58
River Oak Medical Complex, Wetumpka............53
United Ability.....................................................7
Julia Tutwiler Prison for Women.......................49
Myers, Bill.....................................................................55
Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail....................... 49, 62
University Military School.................................10
Kasai North America Inc.............................. 49, 52
Napier, Ben.............................................................49, 58
Robins & Morton..............................................65
University of Alabama ............................... 10, 55
Kavinoky, Paul................................................................5
Napier, Erin.............................................................49, 58
Rotary International.........................................55
University of Alabama at Birmingham..... 8, 39, 65
Kelley, Al.......................................................................58
National Association of Realtors........................31
Russell Brands.................................................49
Kelly Aero..........................................................7
National Association of State Boards of Accountancy.................................68
Russell Lands Inc..........................................8, 68
University of Alabama Center for Business and Economic Research..................68
Kelly Fitzpatrick Center for the Arts, Wetumpka............................... 55, 58
National Black Lawyers.....................................68
Kimbrough, Jack Jr.......................................................68
National Center for Employee Ownership..........65
Kinedyne LLC............................................. 49, 52
National Institute of Allergy and Infectious Diseases..................................8
Kintz, Michael...............................................................68 Kirklin Clinic....................................................65 Labosier, Andrew..........................................................68 Lamberth, Tom..............................................................68 Lauderdale County.............................................7 Leadership Alabama.........................................55 Leadership Elmore County................................55 Leidos Holdings Inc............................................7 Liberty University.............................................55 Lockheed Martin Corp.........................................6 Loper, David..................................................................68 Louisville & Nashville Railroad.........................66 Lyder, Dave...................................................................68 M.D. Thomas Construction..................................6 MAAS Aviation...................................................6 Madix Inc................................................... 49, 52 Main Street Alabama........................................55 Main Street Wetumpka.....................................55 Maisel, Elliot...................................................................8 Marbury High School............................ 49, 55, 58 Marie’s on Main, Prattville................................71 Marrazzo, Jeanne...........................................................8 MartinFederal Consulting LLC.............................7 Marymont, John.............................................................6 Mauldin & Jenkins...........................................68 Maynard, Suntrease.....................................................10
Saban Center, Tuscaloosa....................................8 Sain Associates.................................................68 Saraland Chamber of Commerce.........................5 Schmutz, Jeremy..........................................................34
National Railroad Passenger Corp.......................6
Seaport Research Partners................................31
National Wild Pig Task Force.............................55
Sentar Inc...........................................................8
Neptune Technology Group......................... 49, 52
Shelby County..................................................65
Newton Park, Prattville.....................................58
Shelby, Sen. Richard.......................................................6
Nextec, Birmingham...........................................8
Smith, Jennifer.............................................................68
North Baldwin Chamber of Commerce.................5
Snow Hinton Park, Tuscaloosa.............................8
North Dakota State University...........................34
South Alabama Logistics Park.............................8
North Highland Park, Prattville.........................58
South Industrial Park, Prattville........................58
Northrop Grumman Corp..................................31
Southern Research...........................................39
Nucor Steel Tuscaloosa........................................5
Southern Rodeo Co...........................................47
Nunnelley State Technical College.....................61
Southwest Mobile County Chamber of Commerce...................................5
Old Prattvillage & Prattville Garden...................62 On-Staff Solutions............................................43 Onin Group, The...............................................43 Owa Parks & Resort.........................................7,8 Palomar Insurance Corp....................................68 Parker-Haun Park, Tuscaloosa..............................8 Peterson, Dana.............................................................31 Phillippi, Brian................................................................5 Phillips, Keith...............................................................43 Phillips, Willie................................................................8 Piedmont Plateau Birding Trail.........................62 Pieper, Kristi.....................................................47, 49, 55 Pine Level, Town of..................................... 49, 58 Pines Golf Club, Millbrook................................62
McCaleb, Bridget............................................................8
Pipeline Hazardous Material and Safety Agency.......................................58
Medical Properties Trust Inc..............................31
University of the South.....................................66 University of West Alabama..............................55 University of West Florida.................................55 Uptown Columbus Inc......................................55 Urban Air Trussville............................................7 USA Foundation..................................................6 USA Health.........................................................8 Van Wagner, Lisa..............................................47, 55, 58 Vanguard Pacific................................................8 Vaughn, Matthew.........................................................68 Village Green Park, Millbrook...........................62 Virgil, Diana....................................................................8 Virginia Polytechnic Institute............................34 Vision Center South..........................................55 VivoSphere LLC..................................................8
St. John’s Episcopal Church, Montgomery..........66
Vulcan Materials Inc.........................................31
Stamp Idea Group.............................................58
Warrior Met Coal Inc.........................................31
Stanley Jensen Stadium, Prattville.............. 47, 58
Washington Examiner......................................10
Stanton, Tom...................................................................8
Watts, Ray.......................................................................8
Steelcase Inc.....................................................31
Weldon, Lynn.........................................................47, 58
Steve’s Disco, Prattville.....................................71
West Industrial Park, Prattville.........................58
Stimpson, Jean.............................................................10
Western Rail Road Company of Alabama...........66
Stimpson, Sandy...........................................................10
Wetumpka Depot Theater.................................62
Sturdivant, David..........................................................68
Wetumpka Gateway Development Corp............55
Swayback Bridge Trail.......................................62
Wetumpka Impact Crater Commission..............49
Swift, Currie, McGee & Hiers LLP........................68
Wetumpka Impact Crater Discovery and Visitor Center.................................. 58, 62
Tallassee High School................................. 49, 58 Tallassee, City of......................................... 55, 58 Tanger Inc..........................................................6
Poarch Band of Creek Indians..............................7
Taste at the Fain Restaurant..............................58
Pollard, Charles T...........................................................66
Teledyne Technologies Inc................................31
Memories Flea Antique Mall.............................62
Pollard, Joseph.............................................................66
Tesla Inc...........................................................58
Mercedes-Benz U.S. International..................5, 65
Powell, Jerome.............................................................31
Thomas Accounting and Income Tax Service.........8
Mid-South RC&D...............................................55
Pratt Cemetery.................................................62
Thomas Goode Jones School of Law...................55
Miele Inc............................................................5
Pratt Park.........................................................62
Thomas, Hugh..............................................................43
Military Friendly Magazine...............................65
Pratt, Daniel................................................58, 62, 66, 71
Thompson, Darlene......................................................68
Mill at Prattville, The........................................58
Prattaugan Museum/Heritage Center................62
Thompson, Jay.......................................................55, 58
Millbrook Area Chamber of Commerce..............55
Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce...............55
Thomson Reuters Corp......................................31
Prattville Baptist Hospital.................................53
Time-Life Books................................................66
Millbrook Men’s Club.......................................55
Prattville Country Club.....................................62
TNT Fireworks.....................................................7
Millbrook Murals.............................................62
Prattville Cultural Arts Center...........................62
Torch Technologies...........................................65
Millbrook, City of................................. 47, 49, 58
Prattville High School.......................................55
Trenholm State Technical College......................61
Mississippi State University..............................55
Prattville Medical Park......................................53
Troy University.................................................55
Mitchell, Brandy...........................................................55
Prattville Mercantile Co....................................71
Troy University Montgomery............................61
Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley.............................10
Prattville Pickers..............................................62
Mobile and Great Northern Railroad..................66
Prattville Way Off Broadway Theatre.................62
Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority.................................5
Mobile Chamber of Commerce................ 5, 10, 65
Prattville, City of.............................47, 49, 55, 58
Mobile Civic Center..........................................10
Protective Life Corp...........................................68
Mobile County...................................................6
Protective Life Foundation................................68
Mobile International Airport.............................10
Proton International...........................................8
Mobile Regional Airport...................................10
Publix Super Markets Inc..................................58
Mobile Register................................................10
R.H. Kirkpatrick Agricultural Arena.............. 58, 62
Mobile, City of..............................................6, 10
Rabren General Contractors................................7
Montgomery & West Point Railroad..................66
Redstone Federal Credit Union............................8
70 | BusinessAlabama.com January 2024
University of South Alabama.........................6, 10
SPOC Automation Inc..........................................5
Medline Industries..................................... 49, 52
Millbrook Community Players..........................62
University of Mississippi..................................55
Wetumpka Riverwalk.......................................62 Wetumpka Sports Complex...............................62 Wetumpka, City of................................ 47, 49, 58 Whaley, Bryant.............................................................55 Where Are They Now, HGTV Show................ 49, 58 Whiddon, Frederick........................................................6 White-Spunner Construction.............................65 White, Stacey..................................................................8 Wicker Point Golf Club........................................8 Wilderness Park/Bamboo Forest........................62 Wilke, Ted.......................................................................5 Wilkins Miller LLC...................................... 65, 68 Williamson, Cody...........................................................7 Wilson, Harry................................................................68 Wilson, Ricky................................................................68 Wind Creek Casino & Hotel......................... 49, 62 Woodfin, Lyman...............................................49, 55, 58 Workforce Development Center, Decatur.............7 Workforce Development Center, Florence............7
Tuscaloosa, City of..............................................8
Wow Café Catering...........................................58
U.S. Air Force......................................................7
Wright, Haig II................................................................8
U.S. Army...........................................................7
Yellow House Publications................................58
U.S. Chamber of Commerce...............................65
YESAC Corp................................................. 49, 52
U.S. Coast Guard.................................................7
Zacks Investment Research...............................31
U.S. Department of Agriculture.....................7, 49
Zoom Video Communications Inc......................39
U.S. Department of Commerce..........................31 U.S. Department of Defense................................8
Historic Alabama A SPA WITH A HISTORY The Prattville Mercantile Company, shown here in 1910, was built by Daniel Pratt in 1855 as a company store and commissary. The building survived a devastating 1900 fire that destroyed much of downtown Prattville. The first bank in the area was in the back of the building, located at the corner of West Main and Court streets. In the early 1980s, it was Steve’s Disco, and later it became the store Marie’s on Main. In 2017, the building was renovated and became the Indulgence Spa and Salon. The spa is still in the building today. Photo courtesy of Alabama Department of Archives & History. Do you have a photo you’d like us to consider for Historic Alabama? Send it to Erica West at ewest@pmtpublishing.com.
Alabiz Quiz
Challenge yourself with these puzzlers from past issues of Business Alabama magazine. If you feel pretty confident, send your answers via email to ewest@pmtpublishing.com or, beginning Jan. 22, work the quiz online and check your answers at businessalabama.com.
January 2024:
January 2023 (one year ago):
January 2014 (10 years ago):
Q: Sandy Stimpson has been mayor of Mobile since 2013. Which mayor immediately preceded him? A) Mike Dow B) Sam Jones C) Lambert Mims D) Arthur Outlaw
Q: First Solar picked a site for a new $1.1 billion solar module plant, due to open in 2025. Which Alabama county will be home to the new facility? A) Lawrence B) Lee C) Limestone D) Lowndes
December 2023 (one month ago):
January 2019 (five years ago):
Q: Alabama exports billions of dollars’ worth of goods to the rest of the world, with most going to Germany, China, Canada, Mexico and Japan. Three places import the least — less than $5,000 worth. Which three? A) Anguilla, Montserrat and Nauru B) Latvia, Nepal and Sri Lanka C) Kyrgyzstan, Kazakhstan and Tajikistan D) Madagascar, Seychelles and Ecuador
Q: Business Alabama featured an interview with Alabama’s newly elected “surprise” senator. Who was it? A) Katie Britt B) Doug Jones C) Roy Moore D) Don Siegelman
Q: Mobile said “auf wiedersehen” to a huge global firm as it closed up shop at its $5 billion new steel mill, selling off its stainless mill to Finnish firm Outokump Oyj and its rolling and finishing mill to Luxembourg-based Arcelor Mittal and Japan-based Nippon Steel and Sumitomo Metals. What firm built the twin mills and then skedaddled? A) Mercedes-Benz B) Siemens C) ThyssenKrupp D) Volkswagen
January 1999 (25 years ago): Q: As the 1990s closed, Business Alabama looked at the state’s fastest-growing counties and how they deal with growth. Which trio topped the list for growth? A) Bibb, Jefferson, Mobile B) Madison, Blount and Limestone C) St. Clair, Autauga and Marshall D) Shelby, Baldwin and Elmore Answers from December: D, C, C, A, D, D January 2024 BusinessAlabama.com | 71