The Business Alabama - July 2023 by Business Alabama

JULY 2023

14 CHICKENS ON GUARD POWERSOUTH ENERGIZES

32 SOUTHEAST ALABAMA

SPOTLIGHT ON HOUSTON

59 & HENRY COUNTIES

Moving Freight, IMPROVING LIVES

TIM CROSS CREATED EXPEDITED TRANSPORT TO PROVIDE FIRST-CLASS SERVICE WITH SECOND-CHANCE STAFF

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Volume 38 / Number 7

JULY 2023

CONTENTS

Gary Smith leads PowerSouth Energy Cooperative, which generates power for utilities from Prattville to the Florida Panhandle.

Features 14

29 32

HEALTH CARE CHICKENS ON GUARD A hundred hens stand as sentinels in Mobile’s endless battle against mosquito-borne illness. SEEING THE POSSIBILITIES Helen Keller Foundation helps connect the dots in using laser treatment to prevent sight loss. PRIVATE COMPANIES MAIDS & MOP MORPHS INTO PINK ZEBRAS Alabama entrepreneur shares his secrets of success. GENERATION FOR GENERATIONS PowerSouth lights the way from Prattville to the Florida Panhandle. NAVIGATING LIFE’S HIGHWAY Expedited Transport focuses on both shipping and living.

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ACCOUNTING ACCOUNTING DROUGHT? Looming CPA shortage is a problem nationwide.

BANKING COMMUNITY FOREVER Troy Bank & Trust charter keeps it close to home.

BUILDING BETTER BANKERS School helps finance professionals prepare for stronger careers.

WORLD-WIDE BANKING Regions adds new specialty to serve U.S. subsidiaries of international companies.

RETROSPECT LAYERS OF HISTORY Harrison Bros. Hardware preserves more than just nuts and bolts.

On the Cover: Tim Cross, of Expedited Transport, encourages employees to succeed in business and life. Photo by Cary Norton.

44: Troy Bank & Trust stays true to its community. 29: Ron Holt hopes his Pink Zebra Moving is a reset for the industry. Photo by Art Meripol. 52: Laerte Barros and Marcus Kim are leaders in Regions Bank's new program offering specialized services for U.S. subsidiaries of international companies. Photo by Joe De Sciose.

TOP RANK 21 ALABAMA’S LARGEST HOSPITALS 39 ALABAMA’S LARGEST PRIVATE COMPANIES SPECIAL SECTIONS 22 MOVING HEALTH CARE FORWARD 55 BUSINESS COUNCIL OF ALABAMA GEOGRAPHIC SPOTLIGHT 59 HOUSTON & HENRY COUNTIES

Departments

84 86 87

BENCHMARKS: MONTHLY BUSINESS NEWS BRIEFING COMPANY KUDOS: A MONTH OF ACHIEVEMENTS BA INDEX: HUNDREDS OF LEADS EACH MONTH CAREER NOTES: WHO’S MOVING UP HISTORIC ALABAMA: A WALK DOWN MEMORY LANE ALABIZ QUIZ: TEST YOUR KNOWLEDGE

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JULY 2023 BusinessAlabama.com Volume 38 / Number 7

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 ADMINISTRATION/OFFICE MANAGER Lauren Sullivan / lsullivan@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 PMT Publishing Co., Inc. Copyright 2023 by PMT Publishing Co., Inc. All rights reserved. Reproduction in whole or in part without written permission prohibited. Letters to the editor are welcome. Moving? Please note US Postal Service will not forward magazines mailed through its Bulk Mail unit. Four to six weeks before moving, please send old mailing label and new address to Business Alabama, P.O. Box 43, Congers, NY 109209922 or call 1-833-454-5060.

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Benchmarks Kronospan plans $350M expansion in Oxford

KRONOSPAN has announced plans for

a $350 million investment in its Oxford site, leading to a major expansion. The Oxford City Council approved tax abatements this spring, paving the way for the expansion. A new oriented strand board manufacturing plant is planned for Kronospan’s 460-acre site, creating 125 new jobs and bringing Kronospan’s total employment in Oxford to about 600 people. Kronospan, with numerous international locations, produces wood panel products and calls its Oxford facility the largest and most vertically integrated wood products site in North America. “We’re very pleased to announce the next project at our Oxford site,” says Hans Obermaier, CEO of Kronospan’s North American companies. “This is not only an opportunity to further expand our portfolio of wood panel products in the United States, but also meets our

The new plant will make oriented strand board.

customers’ growing need for high quality construction materials. Just like the other plants on our site, the OSB plant will be constructed with our sustainability principles in mind and will further enhance our negative carbon footprint status.” Oxford Mayor Alton Craft says Kronospan has been a boon to the Oxford community since beginning operations there in 2008. “This latest investment by Kronospan pushes them over the $1 billion mark, and that speaks for the quality

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WORKING HARD All 12 Alabama metro areas ranked among those with the lowest unemployment rates in the country in April, Gov. Kay Ivey reported. That includes Huntsville and Decatur, tied for fourth place nationally with a 1.4% unemployment rate, the governor said.

BIG BOPPERS Birmingham-based companies Regions Financial and Vulcan Materials are both among the newest Fortune 500 companies. Regions ranked 483rd on the list, and Vulcan ranked 494th.

SILVER SHOVEL HONORS Alabama was honored with a Silver Shovel award from Area Development, recognizing $10.1 billion in capital investment last year. The $2.5 billion Novelis aluminum plant, that broke ground in Baldwin County, took honors as a Manufacturing Project of the Year.

JOB PROSPECTS The FBI operation at Huntsville’s Redstone Arsenal could add 500 employees by the end of the year. FBI Assistant Director Johnnie Sharp says the agency has 1,800 employees there now and plans to grow to about 2,300 by the end of 2023. CONTRACTS Austal USA has been awarded a contract to build up to seven ocean surveillance ships for the Navy. The initial contract is

and commitment from this company to our community,” he said. “We are 100% behind them as they continue to expand their capabilities, and we are grateful that they consistently have chosen to do so right here in Oxford.” The expansion is in addition to recent investments made, Kronospan said, including a new water treatment plant and expansion of manufacturing capabilities at its existing particle board plant, as well as the ongoing construction of a new wood yard.

valued at $113.9 million, with a potential value up to $3 billion. Kratos Defense & Security Solutions has been awarded a $46.7 million Navy contract to test thermal protection system materials, with work to be performed in Birmingham. Huntsville-based CFD Research Corp. has won a nearly $25 million contract to study the toxicity of hazardous materials for the U.S. Air Force. Huntsvillebased GeneCapture has been awarded a $1 million contract from the U.S. Army to speed up identification of bacterial and viral infections. SPACE SHOT The Biden administration has signaled to the Pentagon and

lawmakers that it wants to reverse the decision to move Space Command headquarters from Colorado to Alabama, according to a report from NBC News. The decision is in part because of concerns about Alabama’s restrictive abortion law, the report said. NEW AT THE TOP J. Michael O’Brien has been named president and CEO of American Cast Iron Pipe Co., succeeding long-time president Van Richey. Walter Schoel III has been named CEO of civil engineering firm Schoel. Taylor Schoel has been named president and Brooks Schoel chief financial officer at the Birmingham-based,

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BENCHMARKS

Riverboats to dock in Decatur The American Serenade riverboat docked in Decatur for the first time in early June. It’s the first of 14 American Cruise Line river voyages slated to visit Decatur this summer. The Tennessee River cruise also stops in Florence as it travels from Nashville to Paducah to Chattanooga. Photo by Freedom Light Productions.

Visitors to the Tennessee River city of DECATUR now have the option of climbing aboard a riverboat and cruising the river. The city and American Cruise Lines announced in June that riverboats will dock there for 14 cruises this summer. The cruises allow visitors to sample the charm of Alabama’s riverfront communities. “With its rich history, vibrant culture and stunning natural beauty, Decatur provides an ideal location for American Cruise

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family-owned firm that was founded in 1888. Matthew Graham has been named CEO of the Birmingham real estate business Graham & Co., while Henry Graham II has been named president and chief development officer.

has pledged $1 million to Birmingham Promise, aiming to help students with college funding and career guidance, and Birmingham-based EBSCO has pledged $1 million to support projects of the Nature Conservancy in Alabama.

LONG AT THE TOP Dr. David Bronner marks 50 years as CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama this month. During that time, the RSA’s funds have grown from about $500 million to $43.9 billion. RSA manages pensions for 385,000 public school teachers and public employees.

CELEBRATING 60 Lockheed Martin this month is celebrating 60 years of having a Huntsville campus. Headquartered in Bethesda, Maryland, the company broke ground in Huntsville on May 22, 1963.

GENEROUS Birmingham-based grocery shopping service firm Shipt

BRAKES ON BRIDGE Construction on the new Baldwin County Intracoastal Waterway Bridge has been stopped, and a Montgomery

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Lines to introduce their guests to the heart and soul of the South,” the company said in announcing the new service. “We are delighted to partner with American Cruise Line and welcome their riverboats to Decatur,” said Danielle Gibson, president & CEO of Decatur Morgan County Tourism. “This collaboration opens up new possibilities for both our local community and visitors alike. It presents an opportunity to showcase Decatur’s exceptional hospitality, historical landmarks and captivating landscapes to a wider audience. We are confident that American Cruise Line guests will fall in love with our city and everything it has to offer.” “American Cruise Line’s arrival in Decatur will not only bring economic benefits to the city but will also contribute to the growth of tourism in the region,” the city and company said in announcing the new service. “Visitors will have the opportunity to explore Decatur’s historic downtown district and experience the city’s local shops and boutiques. From guided tours of local landmarks to visits to renowned museums and art galleries, Decatur promises a delightful blend of history, culture and outdoor adventures.” 

County Circuit Court Judge says that Alabama Department of Transportation Director John Cooper acted in bad faith when deciding to build the new bridge just a mile away from an existing toll bridge. The court order says Cooper’s intent was to put the other bridge out of business. SPACE SPACE The U.S. Space & Rocket Center is opening a new facility that will serve as home base for Space Camp. The 46,500-square-foot facility will also be headquarters for U.S. Cyber Camp. ON CAMPUS Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United has donated two trucks to the

Alabama Community College System, to help train truck drivers — one of the most fastgrowing programs in the system. The University of Alabama at Birmingham has been awarded $8 million from the National Nuclear Security Agency to study the behavior of items created by additive manufacturing when they are exposed to stresses of extreme heat, cold or pressure. Huntsville Utilities and the Tennessee Valley Authority have awarded $50,000 each to Calhoun Community College to help train line workers. WOODLAWN MUSIC The Woodlawn Theatre is celebrating its grand opening

BENCHMARKS

Nearly 500 jobs, potential $3B contract and more coming to Mobile

Two South Alabama companies – Theodore’s Chart Industries and Creola’s Superior Air Parts – have announced expansions. It will mean a total of 239 new jobs and $98 million in investment in the area. Georgia-based CHART INDUSTRIES will open a second site in Theodore to increase production and capacity. The project will mean a nearly $74 million capital investment and will create 59 new jobs. Chart manufactures cryogenic containers for the defense and space industries. SUPERIOR AIR PARTS, which makes FAA-approved replacement parts for aircraft engines, will expand its operation in Mobile County with a $24 million capital investment and 180 jobs. The Creola plant will expand manufacturing, and that’s where the company will relocate its headquarters. VT MOBILE AEROSPACE ENGINEERING has also announced

plans to expand its services and hire

in the Woodlawn area of Birmingham. The space, developed by the Mason Music Foundation, includes a 250-seat auditorium envisioned as a live music venue. BLUE MOON PICKED NASA has chosen Blue Origin and its Blue Moon lunar lander for the second of two lander contracts, destined to be part of the Artemis V mission to the moon. Blue Origin and two of its five partners — Boeing and Lockheed Martin — have operations in Huntsville, but the team beat a Huntsville-based team led by Dynetics. TUSCALOOSA TRAIN YARD Alabama Southern Railroad is investing $9.8 million to build a

BendPak Alabama.

Superior Air Parts.

VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering.

200 additional full-time employees for its facilities at the Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley. Long involved in maintenance, repair and overhaul of passenger aircraft for airlines around the world, VT MAE will now add conversion services, refitting Airbus 320 passenger aircraft to carry freight. An employment leader in Mobile, VT MAE has some 579 full-time employees today with more than 1,000 workers including contractors. Work on the expansion is slated to begin this year with additional employees on board by the end of 2025. Founded in Mobile in 1991, VT MAE is a subsidiary of Singapore-based ST Engineering Aerospace.

second rail yard in Tuscaloosa. The company’s first yard is in downtown; the second, slated to open next year, will be off Highway 82 West. HISTORIC HOTEL A 22-room boutique hotel is planned for the former Eyer-Raden Building in Birmingham’s Automotive Historic District on the city’s Southside. The Painted Lady hotel takes its name from Louise C. Wooster, a Birmingham madam who died in 1913 and once operated a business in the building. LAKE CLUB Russell Lands is planning a multi-use lake club at its new Heritage development on Lake

Shortly after the three expansions were announced, automotive equipment maker BENDPAK — which makes car lifts, air compressors, tire changers, wheel balancers, wheel aligners, evaporative air coolers and more — opened its second facility in Mobile County. The new facility nearly doubles the space the California company uses as its East Coast logistics and distribution center. The site allows BendPak to deliver to most East Coast customers in one or two days. BendPak opened its first Mobile facility in 2020 and 30 days later bought the adjoining property for a second location. The first has 100,000 square feet of space and the second 90,000. 

Martin — with beach, docks and amphitheater outdoors; event space, bar and fitness facilities indoors. NEW HQ Davidson Technologies has broken ground for a new headquarters facility at Redstone Gateway in Huntsville. Brasfield & Gorrie is general contract for the project. AIDING ALLIES Northrop Grumman Corp. has delivered the Integrated Fire Control Network component of the Integrated Battle Command System (IBCS) to Poland’s WISLA medium range air defense program. This delivery marks the first foreign military sale of IBCS.

GO ENTREPRENEURS! An analysis by the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research shows that business entrepreneurship is at an all-time high. The analysis was of GoDaddyregistered domains and active websites. It showed there are more than 150,000 online ventures in Alabama, most of them microbusinesses with fewer than 10 employees. SAME GAME, NEW NAME The Mobile Alabama Bowl, formerly the Lending Tree Bowl, has a new title sponsor in 68 Ventures. Daphne-based 68 Ventures is sponsoring the game for the first time beginning with the game in December. A

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BENCHMARKS

Premier Tech opens $33M headquarters in Montgomery PREMIER TECH, based in Canada, has

unveiled the new headquarters for its Systems and Automation business group in Montgomery. The company says its $33 million investment marks its commitment to its customers and the U.S. market. The 167,000-square-foot facility will become Premier Tech’s new solution hub for its American-based clients, allowing for increased reaction time and a closer relationship, enhancing the customer experience. “The opening of this world-class facility is the culmination of many months of hard work for our teams in Rivieredu-Loup as well as here, in Montgomery, with the contribution of our local partners like the Chambless King Architects,” said Simon Roy, president and chief operating officer of Premier Tech Systems and Automation. “Our new U.S. headquarters reinforce our commitment to modernize our sites around the world and

Cutting the ribbon at Premier Tech.

enhance our customer experience across the United States.” The company launched a modernization plan in 2020, which has created 55 jobs and secured 78 jobs at its current Montgomery facility — for a total of 133 production and office team members. The new headquarters could foster further investments that would double the workforce by 2028. “Premier Tech will leverage Montgomery’s position as a burgeoning hub for advanced logistics, technology and transportation to expand its global footprint through innovative and sustainable strategies. We look forward to building on this partnership for years to come,” said Steven Reed, mayor of Montgomery. Jeffrey Kotila, site director with Premier Tech, said, “With key investment to increase the quality of our products, like

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specific date for the bowl game will be announced soon.

employees from company facilities when not on shift.

MERGERS & ACQUISITIONS Montgomery-based architecture and engineering firm Goodwyn Mills Cawood has acquired civil engineering firm Commercial Site Solutions, with operations in South Carolina and Florida.

ARTS BOOST The National Endowment for the Arts has awarded $1.2 million to arts organizations around the state including Birmingham Children’s Theatre, Mobile Symphony, Alabama Folklife Association and various arts councils and universities.

LABOR PAINS The National Labor Relations Board has issued complaints against Amazon for what they say is a rule that inhibits organizing activity. One complaint deals with the Bessemer fulfillment center, site of two unsuccessful union votes, and Amazon’s offduty access rule, which bans

MONEY MYSTERY As plaintiffs in a 2009 civil verdict against Richard Scrushy seek payment of $2.87 billion in damages he still owes as a result of the HealthSouth scandal, he is dismissing claims he has hidden millions. A Jefferson

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powder coating, and the integration of a technical floor allowing for testing equipment at full speed and payloads as well as a dedicated training room for clients and team members, our new headquarters are setting the stage for growing our sales and delivering an even better overall client experience.” Founded in 1923, Premier Tech has 372 team members in 33 states and five manufacturing facilities. The company has a wide range of products, services, brands and technologies to increase crop yields, bring gardens to life, automate handling and packaging operations of many manufacturing facilities, treat and recycle water, support communities in their digital transformation and offer bio-ingredients for the well-being of humans and animals. 

County Circuit Court order issued an injunction against any money being transferred out of an account being questioned. Scrushy says any investigation will find he has done nothing wrong. NEW DIGS Birmingham-based Doster Construction Co. has completed, with Birminghambased real estate developer Daniel Corp., the Watts Hampton Cove, an apartment development. The 336-unit complex is on 22 acres in east Huntsville. RKW Residential has opened the 258-unit Highfield Madison apartment complex in Huntsville.

HAIL & FAREWELL Don Newton, who led the Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce for more than 25 years before retiring in 1999, has died. He was 88. The chamber was the forerunner of the Birmingham Business Alliance. CORRECTION Three firms listed among the top employers in Madison County in a recent BA issue — Mazda Toyota, Polaris and Amazon — are actually in the part of Huntsville that’s in neighboring Limestone County. Remington, also listed, has gone out of business.

BENCHMARKS

Sierra Pacific Windows plans major manufacturing plant in Phenix City

distinctive product quality and service associated with Sierra Pacific Windows,” said Mark Emmerson, CEO of Sierra Pacific Industries, parent of Sierra Pacific Windows. “Our unique seed-to-window approach starts by planning trees that take at least 50 years to mature. We always take a long-term, sustainable view to business.”

New equipment is already on order to outfit the green field build of the company’s most high-tech window and door plant to-date. Combined with the company’s existing locations in California and Wisconsin, the facilities will have more than 2 million combined square feet of manufacturing space for its windows division.

A conference room made with Sierra Pacific Windows and doors. SIERRA PACIFIC WINDOWS is expanding

its high-end window and door production with a manufacturing campus in Phenix City. The 610,000-square-foot manufacturing and warehouse space will allow the company to add production capacity and respond to customer demand. “We wanted a location that gives us the room to grow and expand. With our significant and rapidly growing demand for our windows and doors — locating in Phenix City is an obvious choice — from easy access to transportation corridors to the skilled labor force in the greater Russell County area,” said Tom Takach, president of Sierra Pacific Windows. The company will be hiring technicians, managers, engineers, machine operators, maintenance and others. When fully operational, the need for employees will reach into the hundreds. “Sierra Pacific will be a vibrant addition to Alabama’s business community, and its investment plans in Phenix City will have a massive economic impact on the entire region,” said Greg Canfield, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “This expansion of our windows manufacturing capacity is a reflection of our confidence that customers value the July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 11

BENCHMARKS

Southwire plans expansion in Florence SOUTHWIRE, which

manufactures cable and wire, is expanding its Florence facility, a project that will increase production capacity by 30% and create about 120 jobs. The Southwire Florence Plant was acquired from Essex in 2006 to produce commercial and residential building wire. The expansion will increase space from 300,000 square feet to 640,000 square feet. It’s part of an overall expansion strategy for the Georgia-based company.

Site of Southwire’s Florence plant.

“At Southwire, we’re making a multiyear investment of more than a billion dollars to integrate newer and better equipment, systems and technology into our operations to increase efficiency, enhance competitiveness and ensure the operational capability and capacity to support our strategic growth,” said Rich Stinson, Southwire president and CEO. “The Florence expansion is a testament to those efforts.” The expansion project in Florence will include more operating space, new equipment and a renovation of the existing building to include locker rooms, training space and an outdoor picnic and activity area. “This investment will allow us to better service our customers safely and efficiently, and the Florence team and I are very excited about the expansion and what it means for the future,” said Brian Davis, plant manager. “This expansion speaks volumes about the dedication, hard work and commitment of our team members, and we look forward to the opportunities that this expansion will bring.” Construction is expected to begin this quarter and be completed in 2025.  12 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

HEALTH CARE

Mobile County Health Officer Dr. Kevin Michaels holds one of the sentinel chickens, just before it is sent to the field to guard county residents against mosquitoborne illness. 14 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

H E A LT H C A R E

Chickens on

GUARD

A hundred hens stand as sentinels in Mobile’s endless battle against mosquito-borne illness

By NEDRA BLOOM — Photos by DAN ANDERSON

elying on 100 hens as the first line of defense against a at St. Anthony and Bayou streets bears Gorgas’ name over the host of devastating viruses may sound vaguely comical. clinic entrance. But it’s no joke. And the work of the three men, nearly two centuries ago, Raised from tiny chicks, they are fed, watered and enabled not only the building of the Panama Canal but healthy looked after at the Mobile County Health Department for several human habitation in Mobile. months. As the weather warms into Mobile’s steamy summer, No one knows for certain where that early yellow fever epithe full-grown hens are sent by foursomes to coops around the demic originated, Michaels says, but it was reported in the early county, from Citronelle to Dauphin Island, from the Mississippi 1700s, when the French had established trade through the port. border to the shores of Mobile Bay. A camp for fever victims was established upriver at Fort Stoddert, Blood tests on those hens trigger an early warning of in what today is the town of Mount Vernon. mosquito-borne illness — ones you hope to avoid, like West But until Reed’s research at the Panama Canal, no one could Nile virus, eastern equine encephalitis and St. figure out how to stop the spread. After the Louis encephalitis. Additional tests, done at work of Reed and Gorgas, serious efforts were the University of South Alabama, now also launched in Mobile to drain swampy areas Blood tests on those identify Zika, dengue and chikungunya. and control mosquitos. When those tests sound an alarm, the The last major yellow fever outbreak in hens trigger an early Health Department responds by upping its Mobile was way back in 1905. warning of mosquitomosquito control program. “We don’t have yellow fever, but it’s always borne illness — ones a concern,” says Michaels. This is a battle that has been raging for some 200 years. The Zika virus epidemic in the last decade you hope to avoid, like Back in 1819, the year Alabama became moved from travelers to mosquitos and back West Nile virus, eastern from Africa and South America to the Pacific a state, Mobile was hit by a yellow fever outequine encephalitis break — losing some 430 out of about 1,000 islands and the U.S., mutating as it traveled. residents. That’s 40% of the population. “Viruses just look for a host,” says MCHD and St. Louis The Mobile County Health Department, public information officer Mark Bryant. encephalitis. formed even before statehood in 1816, was Hence the chickens. created to deal with just that problem. “Think about the life cycle of the mosquiToday, the disease control efforts are led by to. It bites me” — slapping his arm — “and I the county health officer, Dr. Kevin Michaels, kill it, that’s it,” said Michaels. “It’s over and and Derrick Scott, director of the Bureau of Environmental done with.” Health — the unit of the health department that’s responsible for But if a mosquito takes her blood meal from an infected huvector control. Vectors are insects, rodents and other animals that man, she may well transmit the infection to her larvae. And most can harbor diseases and spread them to humans. of the larvae will be infected. While Michaels’ and Scott’s names may not be household words Finding the water to breed is a piece of cake. The water in the around Mobile, when they start talking about mosquito control, cap of a plastic water bottle is plenty for her egg-laying purposes. the names they mention are hallmarks of health care history — Dr. So, a major part of mosquito control is clearing the trash that can Carlos Finlay, who first speculated that mosquitos might be the hold water. culprits in the yellow fever spread; Dr. Walter Reed, who proved it; Trucks are dispatched around the county all summer, spraying and Toulminville native Dr. William Gorgas, who at first disbepesticides as needed. Off-road vehicles help reach more remote lieved, but after seeing the scientific evidence became not only a areas, and a plane handles the salt marshes in the south part of believer but also a leader in efforts to control mosquitoes. the county. In total, about 1,000 spraying missions are sent out The handsome Mobile County Health Department building each summer to cover Mobile County’s 1 million acres. July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 15

H E A LT H C A R E

And fish that feast on mosquito larvae are introduced to ponds throughout the county. Health officials keep a wary eye for any positive blood tests among the chickens, also checking mosquitos caught in a series of traps around the area. And on the rare occasions when a human is infected, officials look for any overlap between the sites. Mosquito control efforts are escalated in any affected region of the county. “Everybody thinks of pest management as spraying and killing,” Michaels says. “People get concerned about spraying. What does the pesticide do in the community? We use safe pesticides — if applied appropriately, they should provide no harm to people, to pets, to foods or to bees.” And the health department is required to apply them appropriately. Oh, and one more way the chickens help. Chickens don’t just get bit by mosquitos — they eat them, too. Since the chickens aren’t harmed by the viruses, they and their eggs are distributed to county residents. Individuals can protect themselves in many other commonsense ways, rather than doing additional spraying in their own backyards, Michaels says. For example, keep your yard free of any standing water; wear light-colored, long-sleeved clothing to keep mosquitos away; use a DEET skin repellent; apply permethrin to clothing if you’ll be out when mosquitos are active; and, if possible, avoid peak biting

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times — early morning and early evening, typically. It works, Michaels notes. Some 420,000 people live in Mobile County and typically only two or three a year are diagnosed with these arbovirus illnesses. And those people may have picked up the disease not from a Mobile County mosquito but while travelling in another part of the world. “It’s not a big threat,” says Michaels, “but it’s a threat that we have to take seriously; because we don’t want what happened in 1700s, when colonial trade brought in illness.” When we import illness, he says, it takes a while to bring it under control. And while most people overcome even these difficult illnesses, some people don’t and some suffer long-term disabilities. When mosquitos and the viruses they carry are under control, it’s a boon to the community, he notes. People feel comfortable going to a concert in the park or a gathering with friends or other outdoor events. They get more exercise, they probably buy something at a store or restaurant, cycling more life through the community. But the bottom line is a simple truth of public health. “It’s awful when a person becomes ill and ends up in the hospital with something we shouldn’t have in our community,” Michaels says. Nedra Bloom is a writer/editor for Business Alabama and Dan Anderson is a freelance contributor. Both are based in Mobile.

H E A LT H C A R E

Seeing the POSSIBILITIES

Helen Keller Foundation helps connect the dots in using laser treatments to prevent sight loss

he technology to prevent retinal detachments has been around for decades, but recent studies by the Birmingham-based Helen Keller Foundation help prove that non-invasive laser treatments can reliably prevent this cause for blindness. Retinal detachment is the leading cause of sudden sight loss in aging eyes, causing permanent blindness if not effectively treated. It also remains the most common acute ocular emergency that eye doctors see every week, says Dr. Robert Morris, HFK co-founder and president. “Most people who have a retinal detachment didn’t fall down the stairs or anything — it just happens out of the blue in the normal course of their daily lives,” he says. “So, it’s pretty much a shock.”

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By JENNIFER G. WILLIAMS

Retinal detachments are most common in adults aged 50 and over, but detachments at all ages frequently share the same origins — peripheral retinal tears, enabling fluid to seep beneath the retina, floating it away from the eyewall. Tears are caused by movements of the eye’s vitreous gel that, with age, becomes more mobile inside the eye. Doctors can repair the tear, but not everyone gets their full vision back, says Morris, adding, “It’s very important and helpful to stop a retinal detachment before it begins.” The difficult part in testing the effectiveness of the prevention treatment is figuring out who will be affected, says Morris, an ophthalmic surgeon who also serves as the president of Retina Specialists of Alabama and as president of the

Top left: Illustration of retinal detachment caused by a new tear in normal appearing retina, in an eye that had previously received successful focal laser for a retinal tear in attached retina elsewhere. Used with permission of artist Stephen Gordon ©1999. Top right: Image of pigmented lattice degeneration at the equator of the left eye, treated one month previously at the patient’s request with focal IDO laser prophylaxis, concurrent with repair of a retinal detachment in the right eye, under laryngeal mask anesthesia. Used with permission of Retina Specialists of Alabama LLC.

International Society of Ocular Trauma. And while there are some elevated risk factors for retinal detachment, including family history and cataract surgery, there is no way of knowing who it will affect

H E A LT H C A R E

and when, he explains. “Here’s where it gets interesting,” he says. “We do know that little kids and teenagers with Stickler syndrome, a rare, inherited disease in which patients are more prone to detached retinas from birth onward. And we know that they have a 65% detachment rate in their lifetime, with half of those occurring before they are 20 years old and 80% of the retinal detachments occurring in both eyes. These are very difficult to fix at that point, so there’s a lot of blindness and legal blindness in generation after generation of patients with Stickler syndrome.” “By identifying these children most at risk for retinal detachment and doing an encircling bonding treatment to reinforce the retina’s attachment, then seeing the detachment rate plummet to almost zero — well, you’ve pretty well proven your point,” says Morris. A group of doctors in Cambridge, England, started doing a 360-degree retinal bonding treatment in 1978 and reported its long-term effectiveness in 2014. “But here’s the problem,” says Morris. “What they used is called freeze treatment, or cryotherapy, and it’s another way to create bonding of the retina to the eye wall. But the freeze treatment has been pretty much

‘‘

Most people who have a retinal detachment didn’t fall down the stairs or anything — it just happens out of the blue in the normal course of their daily lives. So, it’s pretty much a shock.” — DR. ROBERT MORRIS, HFK COFOUNDER AND PRESIDENT

Illustration of “standard” ora secunda cerclage (OSC) that in our experience has proven successful in non-syndromic eyes for more than two decades. Used with permission of artist Stephen F Gordon ©2020.

• Created a technique (ILM

Proof of preventing retinal detachment with laser treatments is the latest breakthrough for the Helen Keller Foundation for Research and Education, founded in 1988. Other accomplishments include:

removal) that revolutionized surgery on the macula, the human center of vision, now used worldwide • Developed the Birmingham Eye Trauma Terminology (BETT), standardizing the language for ocular trauma used worldwide • Proved that the recently injured eye with no light perception (NLP) can often

abandoned by the vast majority of retina doctors around the world in favor of laser treatment, which is less invasive and causes fewer complications.” So, the Hellen Keller Foundation compared the laser and freeze bonding treatments and found both to be equally effective. This emerging proof was recently published in the Journal of Clinical Ophthalmology. “It took 25 years and many investigators to adequately prove that bonding the entire peripheral retina to the eye wall with lasers could reliably prevent most tears that cause blinding retinal detachments,” says Morris. “We ‘connected the dots,’ showing that this research had finally reached the level of strong evidence.” FOCUSED RESEARCH

While the Helen Keller Foundation remains relatively small, says Morris, it tries to allocate its resources to best address problems that make the biggest difference in patient care. “We don’t have the money or the staff or the labs to do the basic science work, which sometimes can take 20-30 years to pay off,” says Morris. “We spend about $500,000 per year, while many other vision research organizations spend tens

be restored to useful vision instead of being abandoned or removed • Defined the disease of Degenerative Vitreous Syndrome (extensive floaters) describing a safe surgical technique for its treatment and earning the Buckler Award for best video from the American Society of Retina Specialists in 2007 (see www.FloaterStories. com) • Published a new treatment paradigm “Complete and Early Vitrectomy for Endophthalmitis” (CEVE) that improved salvage of reading vision by 50% in eyes suffering severe infection after cataract surgery

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 19

H E A LT H C A R E

of millions per year.” Most HFK research physicians donate their time and tend to concentrate on clinical research, which means analyzing what kinds of treatments have been and have the potential to be the most effective. “We stand on the shoulders of giants,” says Morris. By taking a methodical look at research already completed by other organizations around the world, HKF researchers can best use their time in finding solutions and targeting problems that can be made better through the use of current knowledge and technology. Three reports from the United States and England during 2022 have since confirmed the safety and efficacy of encircling laser prevention in Stickler syndrome. No prevention treatment has been through a clinical trial, says Morris, but that should not be a deterrent for doctors or patients considering the treatment. “Clinical trials are wonderful, but they are very costly — costing millions of dollars — and can take a long time — many

20 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

An illustration of the encircling laser treatment.

years,” he adds. “But strong proof can still come from retrospective studies that have been analyzed well and have a large enough number of patients — such as what we’ve done with preventing retinal detachments.” And while there is still no foolproof way to determine who may be at the greatest risk for retinal detachment in the older population — “that’s still a work in progress,” says Morris, “if a doctor is in an exam room with a patient who already has

had a retinal detachment, that patient is at a higher risk to have another detachment in their good eye — we don’t tell the doctors who to use it on, but it is now an option for patients determined to be at high risk. We now know that safe and effective prevention is possible, and that it is achieved by carefully applying laser light to the peripheral retina, 360 degrees, with no incision needed.” “Our conclusions are subject to continuing medical peer review,” says Morris. “But the ultimate judgment will be made by each appropriately informed patient who faces a high risk of retinal detachment and chooses preventive laser treatment or continued observation. And that’s how it should be.” Visit https://helenkellerfoundation.org/ for more information on the Helen Keller Foundation. Jennifer G. Williams is a Hartselle-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

H E A LT H C A R E

Alabama’s Largest Hospitals RANK

Ranked by number of patient beds.

By ERICA JOINER WEST PHONE NUMBER

WEBSITE

# OF EMPLOYEES

# OF BEDS

619 19th St. S., Birmingham, AL 35233

205-934-4444

uabmedicine.org

11,000

1,207

Tracy Doughty, President & Chief Operating Officer

101 Sivley Rd., Huntsville, AL 35801

256-265-1000

huntsvillehospital.org

9,026

881

HOSPITAL

TOP ADMINISTRATOR/TITLE

ADDRESS

UAB Hospital (includes UAB Hospital-Highlands)

Brenda Carlisle CEO UAB Medicine

Huntsville Hospital

Mobile Infirmary

Susan Boudreau, President

5 Mobile Infirmary Cir., Mobile, AL 36607

251-435-2400

infirmaryhealth.org

2,400

681

Brookwood Baptist Medical Center

Jeremy Clark, CEO

2010 Brookwood Medical Center Dr. Birmingham, AL 35209

205-877-1000

brookwoodbaptistmedicalcenter.com

1,375

645

DCH Regional Medical Center

Katrina Keefer President & CEO

809 University Blvd. E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35401

205-759-7111

dchsystem.com

3,300

583

Princeton Baptist Medical Center

Jeremy Clark, CEO

701 Princeton Ave. SW, Birmingham, AL 35211

205-783-3000

princetonbaptistmedicalcenter. com

944

499

Peter Selman, CEO

2105 E. South Blvd., Montgomery, AL 36111

334-747-2100

baptistfirst.org

2,292

492

Kelli Powers, President

1201 Seventh St. SE, Decatur, AL 35601

256-973-2000

decaturmorganhospital.net

1,700

457

Daniel McKinney, CEO

3690 Grandview Pkwy., Birmingham, AL 35243

205-971-1000

grandviewhealth.com

3,137

434

Rick Sutton, CEO & President

1108 Ross Clark Cir., Dothan, AL 36301

334-793-8111

southeasthealth.org

3,000

420

Ascension St. Vincent's Birmingham

Andrew Gnann President & COO

810 St. Vincent's Dr., Birmingham, AL 35205

205-939-7000

ascension.org

2,065

409

USA Health University Hospital

Shannon Scaturro Administrator

2451 University Hospital Dr., Mobile, AL 36617

251-471-7000

usahealthsystem.com/uh

2,331

406

Veterans Affairs Medical Center - Tuscaloosa

John Merkle, Director

3701 Loop Rd. E., Tuscaloosa, AL 35404

205-554-2000

tuscaloosa.va.gov

1,208

381

Ascension St. Vincent's East

Suzannah Campbell President & COO

50 Medical Park Dr. E., Birmingham, AL 35235

205-838-3000

ascension.org

1,315

362

Ascension Providence*

Todd Kennedy, President

6801 Airport Blvd., Mobile, AL 36608

251-633-1000

ascension.org/ProvidenceAL

1,650

349

Corey Ewing, CEO

1007 Goodyear Ave., Gadsden, AL 35903

256-494-4000

gadsdenregional.com

1,400

346

Joe Riley, President/CEO

1725 Pine St., Montgomery, AL 36106

334-293-8000

jackson.org

2,061

344

7 8 9 10

16 17

Baptist Medical Center South Decatur Morgan Hospital

Grandview Medical Center Southeast Health

Gadsden Regional Medical Center Jackson Hospital

Children's of Alabama

Thomas Shufflebarger, CEO

1600 Seventh Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35233

205-638-9100

childrensal.org

5,200

332 + 48 Bassinets

Northeast Alabama Regional Medical Center

Louis Bass, CEO

400 E. 10th St., Anniston, AL 36207

256-235-5121

rmccares.org

1,500

323

Laura Grill, President/CEO

2000 Pepperell Pkwy., Opelika, AL 36801

334-749-3411

eastalabamahealth.org

3,500

314

Keith Pennington, CEO

995 9th Ave. SW, Bessemer, AL 35022

205-481-7000

medicalwesthospital.org

1,200

310

John Langlois, CEO

600 S. 3rd St., Gadsden, AL 35903

256-543-5200

riverviewregional.com

825

281

Jeff St. Clair, CEO & President

3719 Dauphin St., Mobile, AL 36608

251-344-9630

springhillmedicalcenter.com

1,200

270

Audrey McShan, Director

1651 Ruby Taylor Pkwy., Tuscaloosa, AL 35404

205-507-8000

mh.alabama.gov

624

268

Jeremy Clark, CEO

3400 Hwy. 78 E., Jasper, AL 35501

205-387-4000

walkerbaptistmedicalcenter.com

525

267

Russell Pigg, CEO

1701 Veterans Dr., Florence, AL 35630

256-629-1000

namccares.com

1,400

263

20 21 22 23 24 25 26

East Alabama Medical Center

Medical West, An Affiliate of the UAB Health System Riverview Regional Medical Center Springhill Medical Center Bryce Hospital

Walker Baptist Medical Center

North Alabama Medical Center

Shelby Baptist Medical Center

Holly Dean, CEO

1000 First St. N., Alabaster, AL 35007

205-620-8100

shelbybaptistmedicalcenter.com

1,025

252

Flowers Hospital

Jeff Brannon, CEO

4370 W. Main St., Dothan, AL 36305

334-793-5000

flowershospital.com

1,400

235

Hill Crest Behavioral Health Services

Ballard Sheppard, CEO

6869 5th Ave. S., Birmingham, AL 35212

205-833-9000

hillcrestbhs.com

311

221

Central Alabama Veterans Health Care System-East Campus

Amir Farooqi Interim Director

2400 Hospital Rd., Tuskegee, AL 36083

334-727-0550

centralalabama.va.gov

Northport Medical Center

Luke Standeffer, Administrator

2700 Hospital Dr., Northport, AL 35476

205-333-4500

dchsystem.com

856

204

Thomas Hospital

Ormand Thompson III President

750 Morphy Ave., Fairhope, AL 36532

251-928-2375

infirmaryhealth.org

1,200

189

Helen Keller Hospital

Kyle Buchanan, President

1300 S. Montgomery Ave., Sheffield, AL 35660

256-386-4196

helenkeller.com

1,200

185

Crestwood Medical Center

Matthew Banks, CEO

One Hospital Dr., Huntsville, AL 35801

256-429-4000

crestwoodmedcenter.com

1,280

180

North Alabama Shoals Hospital

Russell Pigg, CEO

201 W. Avalon Ave., Muscle Shoals, AL 35661

256-386-1600

shoalshospital.com

350

178

Baptist Medical Center East

Jeff Rains, CEO

400 Taylor Rd., Montgomery, AL 36124

334-747-8330

baptistfirst.org

1,278

176

For more hospitals, visit BusinessAlabama.com.

220

Sources: Business Alabama surveys and the Alabama Hospital Association.

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 21

S P EC I A L A DV E R TI S I N G S EC TI O N

HEALTH CARE IS VITAL TO INDIVIDUALS, COMMUNITIES, STATES AND THE NATION. In Alabama, thousands of people are working to move health care forward in their day-

to-day activities. Improving the lives of individuals doesn’t just involve doctors and nurses, but also researchers, insurers, educators, builders, financiers and legislators. This month, we celebrate all of those people on the front lines and those who work behind the scenes, their businesses and the communities they impact.

22 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

S P EC I A L A DV E R TI S I N G S EC TI O N

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 23

24 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

S P EC I A L A DV E R TI S I N G S EC TI O N

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 25

PRIVATE COMPANIES

Maids & Mop morphs into Pink Zebra Alabama entrepreneur shares his secrets of success By JENNIFER G. WILLIAMS Photos by ART MERIPOL

The Pink Zebra stripes are an eye-catching intro to Ron Holt's newest business venture — Pink Zebra Moving. July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 29

PR I VAT E CO M PA N I E S

on Holt likes to be disruptive. After starting, growing and selling a company that shook up the housecleaning industry with its innovative performance-based compensation model, the Birminghambased entrepreneur now aims to disrupt the moving industry with Pink Zebra Moving, currently expanding across the country. “I want to create a real legacy,” says Holt. “It’s not just about making money, but about growing a business to change an industry. That’s my motivation…to keep moving and to totally change how people perceive moving companies.” Since selling Two Maids & a Mop for an undisclosed amount in 2021, Holt says he gets calls or messages “every day”

from people asking for advice on starting and growing a successful business. “The problem is, everybody seems to want to take quick steps to success,” he says. “And I tell them, ‘I’ve got the solution for you and I’ll give it to you for free.’ But when they hear my way is really a 20-year plan — it took me 19 years to achieve my dream — yeah, it really scares them. It might not take them that long, but it’s just not an overnight thing.” BACK TO THE BEGINNINGS

Twenty years ago, Holt started a residential cleaning service in a 250-squarefoot office in Pensacola, Florida, and developed it into one of the fastest-growing cleaning companies in America. He sold the company in 2021 for an undisclosed

“We want to be different than everyone else in our industry, so everything from our name to the colors that we use to our slogan.” —Ron Holt, owner of Pink Zebra Moving

30 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

amount and turned his focus to moving and relocation. Two Maids & a Mop was shortened to Two Maids after its sale to Home Franchise Concepts and has continued to spread across the country with franchises from Connecticut to California. The company’s pay-for-performance plan allows customers to rate the team that does the work and their pay is directly tied to that rating — the better the job and more satisfied the customer, the more an employee gets paid. NEW OPPORTUNITY

And while Holt founded his cleaning business based on his research into scalable business opportunities, his latest venture is much more personal. “A few years ago, my mother-in-law was downsizing in Birmingham and hired a moving company to move some of her stuff to her new place and the rest to storage,” Holt says. The experience was a nightmare, he continues, with the bill at the end of the move triple the original quote and a good many of her things damaged. That prompted Holt to put on his entrepreneurial glasses and take a closer look at the moving industry nationwide. What he found was a lot of dissatisfaction — and an opportunity. “I started by Googling moving companies in Seattle, Omaha and Miami and checking their Yelp reviews to get a quick feel for the industry across the country,” he says. “And in all three of those cities, I found my mother-in-law’s experience being replicated over and over again. I felt there was an opportunity here — I was already involved with franchising with Two Maids & a Mop and I decided to use a lot of what worked to create a successful moving company.” “I love going to work, which is probably weird to say out loud, but I love it. Not just because I like staying busy, but I have a purpose,” says Holt. “Take Two Maids & a Mop — my purpose there was to build it into a nationwide brand, and I now want to do the same thing with Pink Zebra, and we want to do that by disrupting an industry. So every day, every minute of my workday means something now.”

PR I VAT E CO M PA N I E S

Founded in 2020, Pink Zebra started with a Southeastern base, but this year opened the doors to nationwide growth. Holt says they are expanding into places including Oklahoma City and most recently, Denver, Colorado. “To do that, we want to be different than everyone else in our industry, so everything from our name to the colors that we use to our slogan,” Holt continues. “Our slogan is ‘We Make Moving Fun’ — because nobody thinks moving could be fun, right?” From surprising customers with dinner the night before a move or leading an exercise/stretching routine before starting work to playing “happy” tunes throughout the house and sometimes having Zeke the Zebra visit if children are involved, Pink Zebra constantly seeks to impress customers with the unexpected. And Holt implemented a performancebased pay system, similar to Two Maids & a Mop. At Pink Zebra, he calls it the pay enhancement plan, allowing customers to rate their satisfaction after a move. “It works because it gives employees a sense of ownership and purpose,” he says. “Their pay is directly based on how well they do their jobs. The happier the customer, the more the employee is paid.” Taking on a new industry may be intimidating for some, but Holt says he is pulling lessons he learned with his first company to drive his success with Pink Zebra. “Franchising was this foreign language to me when I first started 20 years ago,” he says. “And we made a lot of mistakes along the way. I knew the business, but I did not know how to teach others the business, and that’s the key.” Holt accepts he made mistakes when he began the franchising process with Two Maids & a Mop. “It’s not as simple as sending out a manual to a new franchise,” he says. “Just being good at your business is not enough if you want to go the franchise route. It takes a lot of hand holding to get people from the idea that they want to own a franchise to actually growing it and making money on it.” Other challenges he faced included not knowing exactly how to create and staff a call center and how to best utilize marketing agencies.

BEST LAID PLANS

His best advice for budding entrepreneurs? “First, dream big,” says Holt. “Dream as big as you could ever dream. Like maybe you want to dominate your ZIP code or maybe you want to disrupt an industry like we’re doing, but whatever it is, build that dream in your head and then figure out a way to make it happen. “After you make a plan, break up that plan into chunks — what do I want to do in 2023 and what do I want to do in the first quarter of 2023? Once you have that plan and the shorter-term objectives,” he explains, “when you succeed, celebrate and recognize what you just did. Have some fun. For me, that’s always kept me going. That’s what gives me the fuel and the confidence to take the next step and the next.” “If you don’t provide yourself with fuel during that journey,” he cautions, “at some point you run out of gas and you quit. And that’s the best thing and the worst thing about being an entrepre-

neur…there’s only one way to lose. I feel like most people who end up quitting quit because they forgot why they started their business in the first place.” THE NEXT DREAM

Holt continues to dream big with his latest venture, recently converting Pink Zebra to a franchise-only based business, so he can concentrate primarily on the creative side of things and can support each location so they can thrive. “My big dream now is to totally change how people perceive the moving industry. I want to see that through,” he says. Holt plans to work “as hard as I can” for another 10 years to see how far he can take Pink Zebra. “This is it for me. Fifteen years from now, I want people to see Pink Zebra as the Starbucks of the moving industry.” Jennifer Williams and Art Meripol are freelance contributors to Business Alabama. She is based in Hartselle and he in Birmingham.

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 31

PR I VAT E CO M PA N I E S

Gary Smith, president and CEO of PowerSouth, speaks with the electric cooperative’s employees.

Generation for generations PowerSouth lights the way from Prattville to the Florida Panhandle By EMMETT BURNETT

n the 1960s, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative’s electrical generation was regulated by two clocks: one mechanical, the other electric. The mechanical device displayed perfect time and served as the setpoint for the electric clock. If the electric clock ran fast, operators reduced power generation, slowing it down until its time matched the mechanical device. If the electric unit ran slow, operators increased power generation until both clocks matched.

32 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

Humans watched both clocks, making adjustments accordingly. Today the clocks are mostly for show. The electric grid is managed primarily by computers that monitor and make corrections on a continuous basis. “We still have those clocks in a control room,” says Gary Smith, PowerSouth’s president and CEO. “We keep them for demonstrations. They are part of our history.” Headquartered in Andalusia, the company was formed in 1941. Its mission

then is the same as now — to generate and provide reliable and affordable electricity to its members. Today, the company’s 500-plus employees accomplish its goals via 2,100 miles of high-voltage transmission lines running through South Alabama and the Florida Panhandle. Andalusia’s electricity powerhouse distributes energy to cooperative and municipal members who serve end-users in 39 Alabama and 10 Florida counties.

PR I VAT E CO M PA N I E S

But the company started with humble beginnings. “In the early days, electrification was urban,” adds Smith, who joined PowerSouth in 1989. “In the 1940s, Andalusia, Troy, Evergreen, Opp and other towns had some semblance of electricity, but not much. Power was often produced by intown generators that ran power to small downtown grids.” Smith also notes that in the 1920s the Horseshoe Lumber Company built two dams on the Conecuh River. “It is a small insignificant river, but it was big enough to run two hydro projects to generate power in our area. After the lumber company cut down most of the trees, it sold power to small nearby municipalities.” He continues, “Those municipalities became the nexus for the Alabama Electric Cooperative in 1941.” Those two dams built by the lumber company, about five miles north of Andalusia, became the catalyst for PowerSouth. Back then, the duo of dams produced about 9 megawatts of power. Today the company’s new natural gas combined cycle power plant alone produces 693 megawatts. PowerSouth has grown into an electric cooperative serving the wholesale power needs of 20 distribution members, including 16 electric cooperatives and four municipal electric systems in Alabama and Northwest Florida. “We are a wholesaler, not a retailer,” notes the company president. “We sell our product to our members who in turn, sell it to their members and customers. We are a true cooperative. We do not have shareholders, like investor-owned utilities. We are owned by the same people/ cooperatives we serve.” The entities served in Alabama include: Baldwin EMC in Summerdale, Central Alabama Electric Cooperative in Prattville, Clarke-Washington EMC in Jackson, Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative in Talladega, Dixie Electric Cooperative in Montgomery, Pea River Electric Cooperative in Ozark, Pioneer Electric Cooperative in Greenville, South Alabama Electric Cooperative in Troy, Southern Pine Electric Cooperative in Brewton, Tallapoosa River Electric Cooperative in Tallapoosa and Wiregrass Electric Cooperative in Hartford.

“We are a wholesaler, not a retailer. We sell our product to our members who in turn, sell it to their members and customers. We are a true cooperative. We do not have shareholders, like investor-owned utilities. We are owned by the same people/cooperatives we serve.” —Gary Smith, PowerSouth president and CEO

Other Alabama distribution members include Utilities Board of the City of Andalusia, City of Brundidge, Water Works & Electric Board of the City of Elba, and Utilities Board of the City of Opp. Florida members are CHELCO in DeFuniak Springs, Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative in Wewahitchka, Escambia River Electric Cooperative in Jay and West Florida Electric Cooperative in Graceville.

Meeting the power needs of a diverse cooperative group has its challenges. Many of these trials stem from nature, government regulations and, most importantly, fuel costs. “When a hurricane threatens, we deploy our line crews to prepare to restore the system,” says Smith. “Linemen are stationed in safe strategic locations that we believe can reach damaged areas in the quickest time.” But he adds, “Hurricanes are of course, always unpredictable, and when the storm strikes, I like to quote Mike Tyson: ‘Everybody has a plan until you get hit in the mouth.’” Smith recalls, “The worse storm I have seen was Hurricane Michael (October 2018). We lost 264 high voltage transmission structures. Our areas around Panama City, Florida, and south were completely destroyed.” In addition to natural disasters, there are the man-made hurricanes of government regulations. “It is a challenge, building a plant and the government comes in saying, ‘You need to shut this down in 13 years for environmental reasons.’ There is no way we can pay off the investment in that plant. If the plant is taken out of operation our members are left with a stranded investment.” Federal regulations are becoming stringent for anything fueled by coal or fossil fuels — from power plants to cars to natural gas stoves. “The only coal generation we have now is our 8% interest in Alabama Power Co.’s Miller Units, near Birmingham,” says Smith. “I hope that plant site is not phased out. It is a very efficient unit. The costs are very good. A lot of investment has been made in environmental controls.” Smith notes, “At one time we were completely a coal utility. Now we are almost completely a natural gas utility.” With change comes challenges. PowerSouth emphasizes that operations are much more automated now than they were 20 years ago. Systems are more computerized and less labor-intensive. “Not too long ago, when the power failed, we sent a team out to patrol the line until they found the problem,” says Smith. “Today when we have an outage, the electronic systems identify the location of the outage.” July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 33

PR I VAT E CO M PA N I E S

PowerSouth COO Damon Morgan (left) and Smith at Lowman Coal Plant, which is being converted to the natural gas-fired Lowman Energy Center.

But he adds, “What really keeps you awake at night is worrying about fuel costs. Last winter natural gas was about $8 to $10 per million BTUs. Today (May 15, 2023) it is just over $2.35 per million BTUS. Last week it was $2.05. “With so much variation day by day, trying to balance and manage natural gas costs is troublesome. It makes our costs to members difficult to predict,” Smith says. As for the future, PowerSouth is faced with the challenge of building and operating a new electrical generation plant while complying with environmental rules. Some question Power South’s operations. “Yes, we run coal plants and we burn fossil fuels,” Smith adds. “But we are trying to save the world in a different way. We are saving the world with affordable and reliable electricity for people who are economically challenged. If we can provide them a better and a more affordable way of life, we have done our job.” Emmett Burnett is a Satsuma-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

34 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

PR I VAT E CO M PA N I E S

NAVIGATING LIFE’S HIGHWAY Expedited Transport focuses on both shipping and living

By CARY ESTES — Photos by CARY NORTON

Tim Cross founded Expedited Transport with Jim Rikard in 2011. 36 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

PR I VAT E CO M PA N I E S

From ETA offices in Vestavia Hills, logistics specialist Mark Raines and the rest of the team help government and commercial clients with shipping issues.

or more than a decade, Expedited Transport has been moving freight, and improving lives. Founded in 2011 by Tim Cross and Jim Rikard, the Vestavia Hillsbased freight brokerage firm specializes in shipping logistics and management for customers throughout North America. The original Expedited Transport LLC focused on Department of Defense military freight, followed in 2014 by the addition of Expedited Transport Agency to serve the commercial market. While moving freight is what the company does, improving lives is what the company is about. In fact, the creation of Expedited was in itself an attempt by Cross to improve his life after years of alcohol and drug addiction. Since then, he has regularly hired people who are in recovery, to the point that those employees have accounted for between 60% to 80% of the company’s workforce. “We said from the very beginning that we wanted to use this company to help other people, to give them an opportunity for a second chance,” Cross says. “Somebody gave me another chance along the

way, and part of the spiritual principle of recovery is to extend the same opportunity that helped save my life.” A Birmingham native and graduate from the UAB School of Business, Cross began his professional career in consumer collections, working for the old AmSouth Bancorporation as well as AmSher Compassionate Collections. Cross says he was very good at his job, at least, when he was willing to do it. “I’d get mad about something at work and speed off out of the parking lot and be gone for the rest of the day,” Cross says. “Erratic behavior was happening because of alcohol and drugs, and things were coming undone. I was developing a rep for being difficult to manage and deal with. Eventually I could no longer find a job in the collection business in Birmingham.” Finally, in 2008, Cross went into recovery and came out to a clean but uncertain future. This was, after all, during the Great Recession, and his resume was filled with red flags. Cross spent a year working a variety of temporary gigs before finally being offered full-time employment in a

freight-brokerage business in 2010. When that company went bankrupt a year later, Cross and Rikard teamed up to form Expedited, with a staff of three people. “This was not something I had planned for,” Cross says. “I had no idea how it was going to turn out. I was just looking for some steady income.” Cross ended up with both a successful business — that original three-person company has grown into a $96 million enterprise with approximately 75 employees — and a meaningful mission. Because for Cross, the company’s true success comes not from the bottom line, but rather from helping people who have hit rock bottom. “Even if a person gets sober, it can be difficult for them to find a good job,” Cross says. “So yes, we have a soft spot for alcoholics and addicts.” As a result, the Expedited office is filled with heart-wrenching stories of addiction. The former high school cheerleader who became hooked on heroin, had her child taken from her custody and ended up living on the streets. The felon who spent four years in prison for trafficking methJuly 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 37

PR I VAT E CO M PA N I E S

amphetamines and cocaine. The repeated rehabs and relapses that steadily took a toll, both mentally and physically. All those people have found a second chance (and for some, a third or fourth chance) at Expedited. And for many of them, that chance was all they needed to change the direction of their life. Expedited COO Crystal Holcomb is a prime example. She says she was “a junkie on the streets” throughout most of her 20s and had never held a steady job before getting sober in 2012. She initially worked at a fast-food restaurant before meeting Cross, who hired her in 2015. “On paper I was not hirable. For whatever reason, Tim saw something in me that I didn’t see in myself,” Holcomb says. “But we can be amazing people once we get separated from the drugs and alcohol. Just because people make bad decisions, it doesn’t have to define who they actually are as a human.” It was a similar situation for Bryan Odom, who says he went through a

downward spiral that ended with him serving time in prison. When he was released in 2020, Odom says, “I didn’t know what I was going to do.” Cross’ daughter, Grace, had known Odom for years, and she suggested that Expedited would be a good place to get his life back on track. The move was so successful for Odom that not only is he now the company’s logistics coordinator, but he and Grace are married. Odom credits Cross with overlooking his past to give him a future, and he has seen numerous other employees be able to turn their life around as well thanks to Cross. “He’s given people what was probably their last chance and helped them restore their integrity,” Odom says. “He doesn’t dwell on the past. His vision for you is so big, he sees past the obstacles.” And there certainly can be plenty of obstacles. Cross says relapses are not uncommon, and even his patience can be tested. The company maintains a

three-strikes-and-you’re-out policy for its employees. “We’re not going to enable them,” Cross says. “If they’re not interested in getting sober, the best thing we can do is let them go.” For many business owners, such risk is not worth the trouble, which is one of the reasons people in recovery can have a difficult time finding steady employment. But Grace Odom says that former addicts who are serious about recovery actually can turn out to be dedicated, motivated workers. “This sounds crazy, but alcoholics and drug addicts have grit and determination,” says Grace Odom, who is Expedited’s DOD operations officer. “Because if you’re on the street and you’re looking for drugs, you’re not going to take no for an answer. You’re going to get your drugs, no matter what it takes.” Still, Cross says that maintaining this type of workforce is not easy, and to do so, it helps if somebody in charge is in recovery themselves. “We’re able to identify the red flags. We have radar that goes up when we see behavior change that a non-addict probably wouldn’t pick up on,” Cross says. “Things that might go on for months in other places, we notice instantly. “We understand the risk, and at times it has been a real pain. But above and beyond that are the successes. People getting married, having kids, getting custody of their kids back, buying a house. That far exceeds any difficulty we’ve had along the way.” Or as Expedited CFO Lindsey Nowell says, “It’s not as much about making money as it is about making sure that everybody who works here succeeds.” Of course, turning a profit is important, but Expedited has been able to do that as well. All of which has made this unexpected venture worthwhile for Cross. “It takes grit and resolve. You can’t waver,” Cross says. “But we are an example that it can work. That you can be a second-chance employer and help people create a better life for themselves.” Cary Estes and Cary Norton are Birminghambased freelance contributors to Business Alabama.

38 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

PR I VAT E CO M PA N I E S

Alabama’s Largest Private Companies

Compiled by MEGAN BOYLE and ERICA JOINER WEST

CITY

PHONE NUMBER

TYPE OF BUSINESS

Motion*

Randy Breaux, President

Birmingham

(205) 526-9328

8,429

900

Wholesale distribution

Brasfield & Gorrie LLC*

James Gorrie, CEO

Birmingham

(205) 328-4000

5,003

1,194

General contractor, construction management, design-build

EBSCO Industries Inc.

David Walker, CEO and President

Birmingham

(205) 991-6600

3,000 - 3,499

814

Global conglomerate

Robins & Morton*

Bill Morton, Chairman and CEO

Birmingham

(601) 506-1753

2,560

290

Construction

Great Southern Wood Preserving Inc. *

Jimmy Rane, CEO

Abbeville

(334) 585-2291

2,000

760

Wood treatment

2022 SALES

(MILLIONS of $)

OFFICER

RANK

COMPANY

TOTAL EMPLOYMENT

Ranked by most recent sales figures available at press time.

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United Inc.

John Sherman, CEO

Birmingham

(205) 841-2653

2,000 - 2,499

607

Soft drink bottler and distributor

O'Neal Industries Inc.*

Craft O'Neal, Chairman and CEO

Birmingham

(205) 721-2880

3,500

570

Metals service center and component manufacturing

Ebsco Information Services LLC

Tim Collins, CEO

Birmingham

(205) 991-6600

2,000 - 2,499

Provider of databases, subscriptions and publications

PS Logistics LLC*

Scott Smith, CEO and Co-founder

Birmingham

(205) 788-4000

1,725

870

Over the road flatbed trucking, third-party logistics, multi-modal freight brokerage and warehousing

American Cast Iron Pipe Co.*

J. Michael O'Brien, President and CEO

Birmingham

(205) 325-7701

1,700

1,591

Manufacturing

Richard Mullen, CEO

Birmingham

(205) 945-6500

1,500 - 1,999

160

Mining bituminous coal; foundry coke

Ralph Brown, CEO

Bessemer

(205) 481-1678

1,500 - 1,999

Electronics wholesale

David Kerr, Richard Kerr, Co-CEOs

Birmingham

(205) 323-7261

1,257

350

Wholesale distributor of pipes, valves and fittings

Rob Burton, CEO

Birmingham

(205) 803-2121

1,063

377

General contractor, construction

Michael Gobel, CEO and President

Vance

(205) 507-2252

1,000 - 1,499

3,900

Motor vehicles and car bodies; motor vehicle parts and accessories

11 12 13 14 15

Drummond Co. Inc.

Trillion Communications Corp. Consolidated Pipe & Supply Co. Inc.*

Hoar Construction LLC*

Mercedes-Benz U.S. International Inc. (suby of Daimler AG) Intergraph Corp.

Steven Cost, CEO

Madison

(256) 730-2000

1,000 - 1,499

1,000

Spatial management software

Sanmina-SCI Systems (Alabama) Inc.

Jure Sola, Chairman and CEO

Huntsville

(256) 882-4800

1,000 - 1,499

726

Management of companies and enterprises

Altec Inc.

Lee Styslinger III, CEO

Birmingham

(205) 991-7733

1,000 - 1,499

685

Derricks (except oil and gas field); hydraulic/electric, truck/carrier mounted aerial work platforms; overhead uraveling cranes; truck bodies (motor vehicles)

Southern Nuclear Operating Co.

Stephen Kuczynski, Chairman and CEO

Birmingham

(205) 992-5000

1,000 - 1,499

441

Electricity generation

H. Rivers Myres, President and CEO

Decatur

(256) 353-6843

1,000 - 1,499

354

Farm supplies merchant wholesalers

Donald James, Chairman and CEO

Birmingham

(205) 298-3000

1,000 - 1,499

220

Crushed and broken limestone and granite; mining of construction sand and gravel; paving mixtures; ready-mixed concrete

James Smith, President and CEO

Birmingham

(205) 583-3500

1,000 - 1,499

150

Electrical supplies; commercial and industrial lighting fixtures; lighting fixtures, lamps and accessories

20 21 22

Alabama Farmers' Cooperative

Legacy Vulcan LLC (suby of Vulcan Materials Co.) Mayer Electric Supply Co. Inc.

BL Harbert International LLC

Billy Harbert, Chairman and CEO

Birmingham

(205) 802-2800

1,000 - 1,499

100

General contractor

McWane Inc.

C. Philip McWane, Chairman

Birmingham

(205) 414-3100

950 - 999

625

Fire hydrant valves; bitumious coal surface mining; ductile iron castings; coke over products (chemical recovery); valves and pipe fittings

Constellium Holdings Muscle Shoals LLC

David D'Addario, CEO

Muscle Shoals

(256) 386-6000

850 - 899

1,250

Aluminum can stock for beverage and food packaging industries

O'Neal Steel Inc. (suby of O'Neal Industries Inc.)

Craft O'Neal, Chairman and CEO

Birmingham

(205) 599-8000

850 - 899

268

Steel

Mando America Corp.

Chung Mong Won, CEO

Opelika

(334) 364-3600

800 - 849

605

Motor vehicle and motor vehicle parts and supplies

Peco Foods

Mark Hickman, Chairman, CEO and President

Tuscaloosa

(205) 345-4711

800 - 849

450

Poultry processing

Austal USA*

Rusty Murdaugh, President

Mobile

(251) 434-8000

702

3,000

Manufacturing ships

Huntsville Utilities

Wes Kelley, President and CEO

Huntsville

(256) 535-1200

700 - 749

634

Water and sewage services

Caddell Construction Co. Inc.*

Eddie Stewart, President and CEO

Montgomery

(334) 272-7723

689

2,626

General contractor

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 39

OFFICER

CITY

PHONE NUMBER

(MILLIONS of $)

TOTAL EMPLOYMENT

TYPE OF BUSINESS

SMP Automotive Systems Alabama

Cezary Zawakzinski, CEO

Cottondale

(205) 723-4990

650 - 699

1,107

Motor vehicle bumpers and bumperettes

Torch Technologies Inc.*

John Watson, CEO

Huntsville

(256) 319-6944

631

1,029

Engineering services, software development, lifecycle sustainment, modeling & simulation, test & evaluation, cybersecurity & IT, environmental & safety

PowerSouth Energy Cooperative

Gary Smith, CEO

Andalusia

(334) 427-3000

600 - 649

608

Generation, transmission and distribution of electric power

Am/NS Calvert LLC

Chuck Greene, CEO

Calvert

(251) 289-3000

550 - 599

1,600

Metal products manufacturing

Canfor Southern Pine

Don Kayne, President and CEO

Mobile

(251) 457-6872

550 - 599

Rough, sawed or planed lumber

Dunn Investment Co.

James French, CEO

Birmingham

(205) 592-3866

550 - 599

Nonresidential construction; highway and street paving contractor; ready-mixed concrete

Naphcare Inc.*

Brad McLane, CEO

Birmingham

(205) 536-8400

513

454

Correctional health care

Young Deuk Lim, President and CEO

Montgomery

(334) 387-8000

500 - 549

3,530

Automobile manufacturing

RANK

COMPANY

2022 SALES

PR I VAT E CO M PA N I E S

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama LLC (suby of Hyundai Motor Co.)

MOBIS Alabama LLC

Chul Soo Kim, CEO

Montgomery

(334) 387-4800

500 - 549

1,400

Motor vehicle body components and frame

Phifer Inc.

Beverly Phifer, CEO

Tuscaloosa

(205) 345-2120

500 - 549

1,204

Woven wire screening; fiberglass and polyester fabrics; aluminum wire and cable; plastic-coated yarns; metal doors and other aluminum products

Southern Energy Homes

Keith Holdbrooks, President

Addison

(256) 747-1506

500 - 549

1,166

Manufactured homes

Ram Tool & Supply Co. LLC

John Stegeman, CEO

Birmingham

(205) 714-3300

500 - 549

Machinery wholesale

Clifford Mosby, COO

Mobile

(251) 431-6100

500 - 549

Commercial and industrial rental

The Cooper Group of Companies Inc.

Sources: Dun and Bradstreet, Business Source Complete and company surveys. Those companies submitting information are marked with an * after their name.

40 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

For more private companies, visit BusinessAlabama.com.

ACCOUNTING

Accounting drought? CPA shortage is a growing problem nationwide

By GAIL ALLYN SHORT

recent article in CPA Journal says the United States is facing “an acute” shortage of certified public accountants with many leaving their jobs “in unprecedented numbers” in corporations and audit firms. In fact, the 2022 Rosenberg Survey reported that professional staff turnover in the industry is at 19%, up from 15% the previous year, and the number of college students earning undergraduate degrees in accounting fell 9%, from 57,500 in 2012 to 52,500 in 2020, according to the Association of International Certified Professional Accountants. And it’s dropped 4% more since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic. All of this comes in the midst of what has been dubbed as “The Great Resignation,” in which millions of Americans, toward the end of the pandemic, left their jobs. Experts in the accounting field worry that a drought of accounting and certified accounting talent is coming. “There has definitely been a decrease in what we refer to as the pipeline,” says Jeannine Birmingham, CPA and president and CEO of the Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants. “But the reality is that every industry is facing a reduction of

“

There has definitely been a decrease in what we refer to as the pipeline. But the reality is that every industry is facing a reduction of pipeline. Everybody, no matter where you are, is looking for different skill sets or skill sets of higher levels, and the pipeline is not what it once was.” — Jeannine Birmingham July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 41

ACCO U N T I N G

“

We didn’t slow down. We sped up because we had all the information that clients needed for the PPP loans. We were very involved in helping clients, which was a great thing, but there was a two-year span where you didn’t feel like you ever had time off, and I think it really burned CPAs out.”

pipeline. Everybody, no matter where you are, is looking for different skill sets or skill sets of higher levels, and the pipeline is not what it once was.” And the crisis may be getting worse. The Controllers Council reports that “Almost 75% of the CPA workforce met the retirement age in 2020, as estimated by AICPA.” At the same time, the demand for accountants is rising. And without adequate staff, a September/October 2022 CPA Journal article says, it could, for example, make it tougher for companies when it is time for financial reporting for the Securities and Exchange Commission. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics estimates that employment of accountants and auditors will grow 6% — a rate similar to most professions — from 2021 to 2031. Moreover, the bureau predicts 136,400 job openings for accountants and auditors annually, on average, over the decade. Meanwhile, the Alabama Department of Labor lists accountants and auditors as one of the top in-demand jobs in the state with about 625 openings a year and an average salary of about $68,761. The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics lists the annual mean wage for accountants in Alabama at $72,200 as of May 2021. Experts say one reason for the decline may be burnout. CPAs often work long hours during tax season, but the PPP loans that the U.S. government made available at the height of the COVID-19 pandemic added to the already heavy workload for many CPAs. “We didn’t slow down. We sped up because we had all the information that 42 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

clients needed for the PPP loans,” says Angela Hamiter, a CPA and shareholder at JamisonMoneyFarmer (JMF) PC in Tuscaloosa. “We were very involved in helping clients, which was a great thing, but there was a two-year span where you didn’t feel like you ever had time off, and I think it really burned CPAs out.” Another problem is the nationwide drop in the number of people taking the CPA exam, a rigorous test candidates must pass for a license to practice public accounting. A recent article published by the Controllers Council reports that nationally, the number of CPA exam candidates

“

Our department tracks enrollment numbers, and we have not seen significant changes in our accounting enrollment.” — Amanda Barksdale

— Angela Hamiter dropped from nearly 50,000 in 2010 to just over 32,000 in 2021. In Alabama, however, the number of first-time CPA exam candidates went from 897 in 2011 to 690 in 2015, but reached 1,165 in 2021. It’s not an easy path. Accounting students must take a fifth year of college classes just to qualify to take the exam. And CPAs can go into other areas like corporate banking, become a financial analyst or join the FBI rather than join an accounting firm. Amanda Barksdale, a senior lecturer in accounting at the University of North Alabama, however, says that enrollment in accounting has held relatively steady. “Our department tracks enrollment numbers, and we have not seen significant changes in our accounting enrollment,” Barksdale says. “The CPA certification is still a popular option for our accounting majors,” she says. “Each semester, we have numerous firms and businesses come to campus to meet and interact with our students,” says Barksdale. “Many of our students accept internship offers while they’re completing their undergraduate degree.” But still, Hamiter says finding accounting talent straight out of college is more challenging these days. “We’re in Tuscaloosa so we’re at the back door of the University of Alabama,” she says. “We never had a problem. We just recruited from our interns.” But over the last two to three years, the pool of candidates has grown smaller, Hamiter says. “We’ve had to go to different schools.

“

Accounting firms have traditionally been more focused on compliance like tax returns, audits and financial statements. But more and more, we’re seeing our clients’ needs in more consulting areas, advisory. So having knowledge of the industry, or of the clients or systems that they use, those are the kinds of things that are super valuable right now.” — Meg Hampton That’s one thing we’ve changed. We’ve gone to Auburn, Troy, Samford, Birmingham-Southern and spread our wings a little more in different places. And that’s good,” she says. Bur even hiring experienced accountants is more difficult now, Hamiter says. “We’ve used headhunters for the first time in my career here in the last two years,” she says. “We’ve hired two or three recently through that process.” Recently, CPA Meg Hampton, an audit manager at Anglin, Reichmann and Armstrong in Huntsville, wrote an article for Accounting Today magazine on the accounting talent crisis. “Top talent can choose careers that allow them to work from anywhere and at any time (e.g.

digital nomads). The accounting industry cannot ignore that reality,” she wrote. She says that accounting firms should consider looking at the talent they currently have on hand and helping those employees gain new skills and expand their knowledge base instead of focusing entirely on hiring. For instance, if a young accountant has specialized knowledge of a particular field or industry, they can ask managers how they can use that knowledge to help bring in new clients for the firm. And managers can offer opportunities for cross-training and allow employees to shadow their more experienced colleagues. In addition, Hampton says firms should consider moving beyond traditional hires to hiring experts inhouse who can give accountants a better understanding of niche industries. “Accounting firms have traditionally been more focused on compliance like tax returns, audits and financial statements,” says Hampton. “But more and more, we’re seeing our clients’ needs in more consulting areas, advisory. So having knowledge of the industry, or of the clients or systems that they use, those are the kinds of things that are super valuable right now.” “We’ve done a little bit of this where we’ve hired someone as a consultant, where they don’t have an accounting degree or have an actual accounting job, but they have experience in a relevant industry that we have a niche in,” Hampton says. Birmingham says, “It will take a renewed effort to educate high school students and maybe even middle school students about the opportunities for careers in accounting, whether that’s a CPA or whether that’s just an accountant.” But meanwhile, the need for more accountants continues. “What worries me the most is not having people to take care of these clients that I’ve taken care of for 30-plus years,” Hamiter says. “Clients will pass away, but more are coming along after them, their children, and I hate for there not to be that someone here from our firm to take care of those folks.” Gail Allyn Short is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama. July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 43

BANKING & FINANCE

Community

FOREVER

Troy Bank charter keeps it close to home By DEBORAH STOREY — Photos by JULIE BENNETT

Troy Bank President Jeff Kervin in downtown Troy, always the bank's hometown. 44 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

BANKING & FINANCE

At left, the very first location of Troy Bank & Trust, when it opened in 1906. At right, the branch that opened decades later, but still is in use today. The clock tower that’s in both photos now stands in front of the current bank headquarters.

ank mergers can be frustrating for customers. There’s an unfamiliar bank name and account number to remember, new checks and maybe even different locations and tellers. Mergers and acquisitions are common in the banking industry. In 2022, the Federal Deposit Insurance Corp. approved 68 bank mergers nationwide — four in Alabama. No one will take over Troy Bank and Trust in Pike County, though. Ever. Their charter forbids it. Former Alabama Gov. Charles Henderson was a founder of Troy Bank, which opened in 1906 with $50,000 in capital stock. (A bit of trivia: Alabama’s oldest is the 1889 Bank of Brewton.) When Henderson died in 1937, his will created a perpetual trust in his name. It transferred his 51.12% majority ownership of Troy Bank and Trust stock to the trust. Those shares can never be publicly traded. Today, Troy Bank has assets of $1.42 billion, just over 53,000 customers and 15 locations in Pike and surrounding counties, East Alabama, the River Region

and the Wiregrass — including Enterprise, Auburn and Dothan — and plans to expand. “We can buy other banks. They can merge with us, but no one will ever, ever be able to come and take Troy Bank and Trust away,” says Allie Higgins, bank marketing and public relations director. “We’ve been Troy Bank for over 100 years. We’ll be Troy Bank for 500 more, forever and ever, amen, because of the security that the trust has provided to us,” she says. Henderson and his wife had no children but did have relatives who challenged the restrictive ownership provision of his will. They lost. “That has been taken to the Supreme Court twice and upheld,” says Higgins. She calls bank founder Henderson a visionary who did many good things for the state and Pike County. He was governor from 1915 to 1919. “You just have to think about the insight that man had over 120 years ago to set up something that was going to outlast him that long,” she says. Troy Bank is a powerhouse in South-

east Alabama, where Pike County is the nucleus of its legacy market. “The roundabout figure that we normally use is that we have 80% of the market share here,” Higgins says. The original Troy Bank building still stands on North Three Notch Street downtown, but the main branch moved just two buildings away to 70 West Court Square. Troy Bank can – and does – absorb other banks. “We have bought other banks before and they have become Troy Bank and Trust, but someone couldn’t come in and buy us,” explains Higgins. “We’re centered (in Troy) but we’re everywhere, and we’re growing and growing,” she says. “In the coming years we’re looking at expanding into Huntsville and into Gulf Shores and Mobile. We’re starting to be all across the state.” HELP THE COMMUNITY

The original goal of the philanthropic bank trust was to address health and educational needs in the region. Early-childhood health care was not readily available in rural Alabama during Henderson’s July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 45

BANKING & FINANCE

Troy Bank and Trust executives from left, Jon Gordon, Jeff Kervin, John Ramage and Bo Coppage in downtown Troy.

lifetime. Many residents were illiterate, too. “It started in Pike County schools and childhood health because he saw a need for that during the war,” says Higgins. The Charles Henderson Child Health Center’s mission is similar to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis. Established to serve children in the Pike County area, the Troy-based operation now assists families in 12 counties, Higgins says, with pediatric and dental care, nutrition and vaccinations — even a reading program and interpreter services. “Our funding is what gives them the ability to serve the people in this area that need it the most,” she adds. The center has connections with health care specialists “you wouldn’t dream of having access to in this area,” Higgins says. If families are able to pay they do, but “no child is turned away,” says Higgins. “They look at health care as more of a ministry than a business.” Troy Bank and Trust employees support the community in other ways, too. Higgins is a frequent speaker at Troy University. Bank employees discuss finan46 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

cial literacy in schools and sit on governing boards of charities and non-profits. The bank offers interest-free mortgages on Habitat for Humanity homes. Some employees help build them. A FRIENDLY FACE

The most immediate impact for the local community, though, is providing stable hometown financial services and familiar faces at the teller window. “We offer this personal service of a small-town bank, even though we’ve grown into a large community bank,” Higgins says. “We still offer that same hometown service. What we’ve realized is that means more to people than any interest rate or any service ever could.” Bank employees pride themselves on personalized, responsive customer service, Higgins says. When customers call the bank, they “get a person, and that person helps you.” Bob Whaley, owner and president of Whaley Pecan Co. in Troy, agrees. “They’re always just a phone call away,” says Whaley, who has both business and personal accounts with the bank. “We have been banking with them well over

50 years. My father was banking with them, then I started banking with them. “They’ve always done what they said they would do,” he says, and “helped us with expansion and equipment purchases when we needed them.” Whaley Pecan, founded in 1937, handles more than a million pounds a year of in-shell pecans and ships nuts and pies across the country. Despite their extensive reach, “we prefer to do our banking locally,” Whaley says. It’s a good bet that bank tellers recognized Bob Whaley’s father when he came in to do business decades ago. Employees take pride in knowing customers’ names, faces and their families. When Higgins was a teller, she waited on an elderly man who had been a customer at Troy Bank since 1910 — just four years after it started. Many of the roughly 180 bank employees work there for years — even generations. “In the two years I’ve been here, I’ve seen three people retire that had over 50 years of service with us,” she says. If a customer is looking for a competitive loan rate, for example, Higgins says, “any loan officer is going to do anything they can to make it happen for you.” As for someday challenging the no-merger provision, Higgins says “we wouldn’t want to. “It’s an amazing thing that we can’t be bought. It offers employees job security. It offers customers security. “If you are a customer at Troy Bank, you will never have to go through a merger. Your account numbers are never going to change. You bank with Troy Bank and you will bank with Troy Bank as long as you live.” Deborah Storey and Julie Bennett are freelance contributors to Business Alabama. Storey is based in Huntsville and Bennett in Auburn.

BANKING & FINANCE

Bankers gather for orientation at the Alabama Banking School.

Building better bankers School helps financial professionals prepare for stronger careers

n Oct. 22, 2023, dozens of banking professionals will meet at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel. Though they will come from many different areas throughout Alabama, be at various stages in their banking careers and have very different backgrounds, titles and interests in banking, they will all be seeking the same thing — eventual graduation from the Alabama Bankers’ Association’s prestigious Alabama Banking School. In 1975, Alabama — much like the rest of the United States and even the world — was struggling with a deep recession that saw record-breaking unemploy-

48 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

By STEVEN CASTLE

ment numbers and high stagflation. The Alabama Bankers Association (ABA), however, had a plan. It adopted a proposal to create a new banking school, the first for the state, called the Alabama Banking School, or ABS. This program would enhance participants’ knowledge and skills in banking, custom-designed for the needs of Alabama-based banks. The inaugural class convened the next summer in 1976, and since then, the Alabama Banking School has helped many banking professionals bolster their skills and enhance their careers. Scott Latham, the current president and CEO of the ABA, elaborates on the

school’s uniquely Alabamian history: “The chairman of the education committee in 1975 was Kay Ivey, who was a banker at the time,” says Latham. “She actually… proposed the creation of the school. Soon, that school will be 50 years old. We’ve graduated over 2,000 bankers, and there are seasoned, experienced bankers all over the state who talk about their years at the Alabama Banking School.” At first glance, the school’s structure can sound deceptively barebones: one 40-hour week of classes once per calendar year for three years, with case studies to pore over in the evenings and practical home study problems to work between class sessions.

BANKING & FINANCE

Banking school students in their final year of the program.

However, the course load is decidedly thorough. Lawrence Johnson is an executive vice president, commercial lender and project manager at Friend Bank in Dothan and is one of the most recent ABS graduates, having finished the program in 2022. For him, the knowledge he has gained comes in handy on a regular basis. “I’ve still got my notebooks from the Banking School that I’ll pull out from time to time and refer to for something about title insurance or… liquidity.” Ann Hamiter, a commercial relationship manager at United Community Bank in Birmingham, is a 2009 graduate of the Alabama Banking School, and was invited in 2020 to join the program as a class director. She points out that the skills and information gleaned in the ABS has a very broad appeal for bankers. “When I went through as a student, I graduated understanding the entire bank — not just the retail/commercial relationship side of banking.” And the condensed timeframe of in-person classes does not pose a significant hurdle, according to Johnson. “They hit the nail on the head. They do a good job in a short amount of time, taking folks and giving them information that can benefit them for an entire career,” he says. Topics for the three-year program cover the gamut of banking, from

academic subjects like banking history, accounting theory, banking law and economic principles to nuts-and-bolts instruction in topics like bankruptcies, title insurance, tax return analysis and commercial lending. Up-to-the-minute trends, such as cybersecurity and cryptocurrencies, are also covered. The week of in-person instruction posed a particular challenge in 2020, with the rise of the pandemic. That’s when the ABS transitioned to an entirely paperless model. “We have now adopted software exactly the same as used in colleges called the Canvas Learning System,” remarks Latham. “So, everything we do now is online — [students] bring a laptop, they take their tests online, they receive instruction and notes ahead of time online. “It’s certainly a classroom experience, but we’ve lifted the paperwork out of it.” While such a complex change could have come with a host of complications, Latham takes pride in the school’s painless transition. “It could not have gone smoother.” The in-person week of courses not only provides students with valuable face-to-face time with seasoned instructors, but also with a chance to network in the industry. “Our industry is a small industry. It is a tight-knit group,” says Johnson. “We genuinely do work together.

‘‘

The chairman of the education committee in 1975 was Kay Ivey, who was a banker at the time. She actually…proposed the creation of the school. Soon, that school will be 50 years old. We’ve graduated over 2,000 bankers, and there are seasoned, experienced bankers all over the state who talk about their years at the Alabama Banking School.” — SCOTT LATHAM, PRESIDENT AND CEO OF THE ABA July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 49

BANKING & FINANCE

“You’re taking bankers from all over the state and shoving them into a room for a week and they’re having a beer or two, having dinner afterwards. Those relationships are just as important as the things you learn in the classroom.” Hamiter is particularly proud of the class she directed. “[They] showed themselves to be a class of one rather than a class of individuals… The class lost a class member after their first year. They, as a class, sent a donation to his church as a memorial and additionally donated in his honor upon their graduation. I was proud to be one of them.” First- and second-year students have final examinations to ensure they have grasped key concepts before moving forward. By the end of the third year, the broad base of training has provided such a foundation of knowledge that students try their hands at running entire banks — virtually. Students form teams and must successfully navigate a virtual banking simulation known as BankExec, a pow-

50 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

‘‘

When I went through as a student, I graduated understanding the entire bank — not just the retail/commercial relationship side of banking.” — ANN HAMITER, COMMERCIAL

RELATIONSHIP MANAGER AT UNITED COMMUNITY BANK IN BIRMINGHAM

erful computer-assisted virtual banking simulation created and administered by the American Bankers Association. Teams decide on participants’ roles — CEO, marketing officer or chief financial officer, perhaps — make decisions and compete against the other teams’ banks for the week, then give presentations on their results. “They really sit in the seat, buckle in and run a bank,” says Latham. “And at the end of that week, we bring in real CEOs to hear their presentations.” After a successful presentation, students are designated as ABS graduates, which is a boon at most any stage of a banking career. “You’ll find something for all levels [of employee],” says Hamiter. “If you have a banker you want to invest in, this is the perfect place to invest, support and grow the individual in a rewarding way to both the banker and bank.” Steven Castle is a Mobile-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

BANKING & FINANCE

World-Wide

BANKING

Regions adds new specialty to serve U.S. subsidiaries of international companies By KATHY HAGOOD — Photos by JOE DE SCIOSE

Marcus Kim, left, from Regions' Houston office, and Laerte Barros, from the Dallas office, met up recently at Regions headquarters in Birmingham to discuss the new international subsidiaries practice. 52 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

BANKING & FINANCE

irmingham-based Regions Bank alone and 300,000 jobs created in states recently announced the creation Regions serves. “During the same periof a new team of international od, $13 billion was invested in Alabama Head of Treasury Management banking specialists to better and 17,000 jobs created,” Barros says. serve local subsidiaries of international The movement of FDI to the Southcorporations. ern states in particular started with a The International Subsidiaries Banking migration during past decades of auto(ISB) Group, a handful of veteran spemakers and suppliers from the Midwest cialists, were brought onboard to assist because labor practices in Southern Regions’ local commercial and corporate states were considered more business bankers to address the unique needs of friendly, Barros says. Alabama notably the subsidiaries, says Byron Ford, head of was able to lure German automaker Treasury Management. “This is a newly Mercedes-Benz in 1993 to Vance to formed team, but Regions’ efforts in establish its first U.S. assembly plant in this area have been ongoing,” he says. partly through $250 million in incen“Now there is a particular focus and new tives. “Because of the success of those emphasis as we call on potential clients, as moves, additional FDIs were made,” he “Our team has worked well as offer established clients additional says. “A number of the original investservices.” ments have been followed with additionwith multinationals IBS team members have decades of al investments.” for many years. If experience in international business More recently, the COVID-19 we are approaching and finance across Asia, Europe, Latin pandemic so disrupted the global supply America and Oceania, Ford says. “We chain that some foreign corporations a subsidiary whose are continuing to establish and expand have begun moving to onshore and parent company is the group. Laerte Barros, the team leader, near-shore operations and suppliers to in South Korea, say has been with us for about a year. Marcus avoid disruptions, Barros says. “Samsung Kim and Christian Louis have been added is making a major investment in Texas one of 80 suppliers to more recently,” he says. “A fourth member for example, and automotive battery Hyundai or Kia, for is on the way.” manufacturers are investing in Tennessee example, we have a Group members are well versed in and Georgia,” he says. various business cultures and may be Barros and his team are available Korean manager on able to converse with ex-patriot busito travel throughout Regions’ 15-state our team.” ness managers in their own language, footprint to assist local bankers in Ford says. “Our team has worked with developing new business opportunities. multinationals for many years. If we are approaching a subsidiary “Our motto at Regions is local delivery, local relationships where whose parent company is in South Korea, say one of 80 suppliers businesses are based,” Ford says. “Regions 360 commitment to Hyundai or Kia, for example, we have a Korean manager on means providing full-circle support. Companies always need an our team,” he says. operating account, but they also may need financing for local acThe 15 states where Regions operates have drawn increasing tivities and other solutions, and all business have workers whom numbers of subsidiaries of foreign corporations as industries inwe can serve.” cluding automotive manufacturing, aerospace and petrochemicals Local relationship bankers may not have reached out in the have flourished, Barros says. “Alabama, for example, has large car past to suppliers in their area because those suppliers were not manufacturers including Mercedes, Hyundai and Mazda Toyota, on their radar screens, Ford says. “Our new team will help them which are surrounded by suppliers,” he says. “It’s the supplier identify business opportunities and jointly call on potential base owned by foreign entities we are targeting for providing clients.” services including bank accounts, financing and working capital. Ford points out that decision makers for internationally owned The larger manufacturers typically already have their banking subsidiaries often are not based in the United States. “Laerte and relationship with a house bank in their own country set up and his team are familiar with working with foreign-owned businessdon’t need us.” es,” he says. “There often are distinct differences in how foreign Economic research shows a significant portion of foreign dicompanies do business.” rect investment (FDI) in the U.S. is being made in areas Regions Barros, who has worked with international corporations for has long served, Barros says. In Alabama, specifically, investments more than 25 years, previously served as head of BBVA USA’s have been made in automotive, aerospace and ship manufacturInternational Commercial Banking division. Responsible for ing as well as plastics, metals and chemicals. Based on local and the bank’s international commercial banking portfolio, he led federal data, including the Alabama Department of Commerce, efforts to expand the bank’s international business. Barros speaks Regions estimates $100 billion was invested from 2018 to 2021 Portuguese, English and Spanish and holds a law degree and

Byron Ford

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 53

BANKING & FINANCE

“We’re opening doors to new business. We may have had a small relationship with a subsidiary before, but this offers the opportunity to do more for our clients. We are leveraging our local relationship managers by offering them special support.” — Byron Ford

specialization in international law from the University of Sao Paulo in Brazil. He also has a master of science degree in finance from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. Kim’s experience includes a 17-year career in Asia at Korea Exchange Bank and China Construction Bank, serving as a corporate and investment banking manager. He helped clients with structured and trade finance needs, merger and acquisition support, real estate and interna-

54 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

tional syndication. He earned his bachelor of science degree in electronic engineering from Yonsei University in Seoul. Louis has more than 20 years of banking experience, primarily working with international corporations. He served as the Eastern region specialist for BBVA USA’s International Banking division. He has worked with corporate banking clients in Korea, Bahrain, New Zealand, the Czech Republic, Uruguay and the Dominican Republic. Louis has a bachelor of science

in engineering physics, a bachelor of arts in economics from Miami University and a master of internal business from the University of South Carolina. So far Regions has received a positive response to the IBS team both from prospects and previous clients, Ford says. “We’re opening doors to new business. We may have had a small relationship with a subsidiary before, but this offers the opportunity to do more for our clients. We are leveraging our local relationship managers by offering them special support.” Regions is one of the country’s largest full-service providers of consumer and commercial banking, wealth management, and mortgage products and services with more than 1,025 banking offices across its coverage areas and $155 billion in assets. Kathy Hagood and Joe De Sciose are freelance contributors to Business Alabama. She is based in Homewood and he in Birmingham.

SPOTLIGHT

Henry County

Houston County

Houston and Henry Counties by GAIL ALLYN SHORT

own in the Wiregrass Region of Alabama, HOUSTON AND HENRY counties sit as neighbors in the Southeast corner of the state, bordering Georgia and close to the Gulf Coast. And both counties’ leaders are on a mission to bring new businesses and tourism to their respective cities and towns. Colton Cureton, vice president of economic development for the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, says several factors help distinguish the region. “We’ve got a great structure for leadership, and our elected officials in the community really understand the importance of working together and working across city and county lines and doing whatever it takes to better our local economy and the Wiregrass Region and helping one another,” Cureton says. In Henry County, the major industries include manufacturing, retail, agriculture, timber, construction, financial, entertainment and entrepreneurship. The county is home to manufacturers like Great Southern Wood Preserving, which produces treated lumber, and industrial systems maker TriDelta Systems, two companies that are among the county’s largest employers. The key industries in Houston County include technology, health care, retail, construction, manufacturing, distribution and transportation, food processing, the college system and the Southern Nuclear Operations Co., to name a few. And through initiatives like Grow Dothan — a public-private partnership — the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce is working to secure incentives for companies wanting to expand or relocate to the area and assisting with workforce development planning. “The population doubles during the day because people come here to work. People come here for health care and people come here for retail purposes. So, you’ve got a great community that really benefits from not only the people that are here, but also the people that are in the surrounding communities,” Cureton says. In Dothan, Gateway Tire Southeast announced plans recently to expand its 200,000-square-foot warehouse in the Westgate Industrial Park by 100,000 square feet. The expansion will cost $9 million and bring 30 new jobs to the city. Another company, SmartLam North America announced it would spend $62 million in Dothan to build a new

James Oates Turf Field.

140,000-square-foot glulam manufacturing plant. Meanwhile, Peak Renewables, out of Canada, announced it intends to spend $30 million to construct a new wood pellet production plant in Dothan. To help train and prepare its workforce, the Wiregrass Region offers public and private educational institutions, like Wallace Community College, a two-year associate degree institution, and Troy University. Dothan is also home to the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine, an institution accredited through the American Osteopathic Association’s Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation (COCA). Houston and Henry counties also have economic and community development initiatives in the works. One of the initiatives is in Dothan, which is revitalizing its city center. According to the chamber, the project will be paid for with public and private funds and include renovating the Dothan Opera House, constructing a new arena to seat approximately 6,000 people — double the seating capacity of the current civic center — and the new Wiregrass Arts and Innovation Center for cultural and arts events. And through the initiative Visit Dothan, efforts are underway to update other recreational venues, says Matt Parker, president of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce. “The city and Visit Dothan have done a good job developing recreation infrastructure, the ball fields, soccer fields, tennis courts, clay court tennis courts, walking trails and everything. And we’ve hosted a lot of traveling sports activities,” Parker says. In Henry County, Abbeville Mayor Jimmy Money says his city is working toward extending a runway at its municipal airport. The city recently obtained $236,700 in grant funding from the Federal Aviation Administration toward the project. “We’re extending our runway up to 5,000 feet. We’re going to add 1,600 feet, which is going to make it convenient for larger planes to come in here,” Money says. “Companies that are coming in and looking at our city and county are wanting to land at our airport, and it just can’t accommodate them on a 3,500-foot runway. So, we’re extending up to 5,000 feet,” he says. July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 59

S P O T L I G H T: OV E R V I E W

“Time is money, and they want to fly in, look around and fly out. We’ve missed a lot of opportunities over the years not having a place for them to land and they are having to go to Headland. We’ve been fortunate to get some grants to help site that.” Additionally, he says the Abbeville City Council recently voted to update the city’s rescue unit, which would bring the number of 24/7 rescue units to two and add more ambulances. And Brandon Shoupe, chairman of the Houston County Commission, says his county is working to build up its qualityof-life bona fides. “We recognize that there’s plenty of jobs out there, and people

are choosing where they want to live before they choose where or who they want to work for. Today you can live in Dothan, and work for a software development company out of Silicon Valley if you want to, because there’s so much remote work,” Shoupe says. “We want Houston County to be a place where people want to live because we have cultural opportunities, recreational opportunities and other amenities that people desire. That makes a more balanced life and makes life worth living.”

M E D I A N H O U S E H O L D I N CO M E

P O P U L AT I O N Total Alabama Population: 5,074,296

Madison County — $71,153 Baldwin County — $64,346 Jefferson County — $58,330 Henry County — $55,870 Montgomery County — $52,511 Mobile County — $51,169 Houston County — $50,222 State of Dale County — $50,052 Alabama $54,943 Geneva County — $43,581 Barbour County — $36,422 Source: U.S. Census (In 2021 dollars)

60 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

Gail Allyn Short is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

Jefferson County: 665,409 Mobile County: 411,411 Madison County: 403,565 Baldwin County: 246,435 Montgomery County: 226,361 Houston County: 108,079 Dale County: 49,544 Geneva County: 26,783 Barbour County: 24,706 Source: U.S. Census Bureau, July 1, 2022 estimates Henry County: 17,655

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 61

In Focus

Job security

Growing Dothan’s DSI Security Services is a family affair By ALEC HARVEY

lan Clark was 14 years old when his father, Sheriff A.B. Clark, started a security company in

Dothan. “My father was sheriff in Houston County for 20 years, and when the Southern Company was starting to build the Farley nuclear plant here, at the time there were no private security companies in our area,” Clark recalls. “Daniel Construction Co. came to my father and asked if he’d put together a team of retired police officers and law enforcement people for the construction site at the plant.” That’s how DSI Security Services got started, and nine years later, Clark, fresh from earning his criminal justice degree at the University of Alabama, was running it.

Alan and Marty Clark are pictured with Alan's parents, Sheriff A.B. and Runell Clark. Photo from DSI Security Services. 62 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

“About a month after I got there, the guy who had been running the company retired,” Clark says. “I was kind of thrown to the wolves, kind of thrown into the fire, all the way into the fire.” While his father continued to be sheriff, Clark grew DSI, which stands for Dothan Security Inc. He took over with a handful of employees and a client base you could count on one hand, but today DSI operates 28 offices in 33 states, including offices in Dothan, Mobile, Montgomery, Huntsville and Birmingham. “I started expanding into Ozark and Enterprise, and it kind of grew from that, little by little,” Clark says. “Looking back now, I don’t know if I could do it again, but at the time, I was hungry, and you just did what you had to do.”

DSI started by providing security guards for businesses. The company still does that, but it also offers security camera setup and monitoring, armed and unarmed guards, mobile patrols and more. “About 25 years ago, we decided we needed to be a one-stop shop for security,” Clark says. “We started an electronics division, including manpower and cameras, access-controlled gates, everything.” Over the years, technology has drastically changed the way DSI does business. Cameras are getting better and better, he says, but there will always be a need for security guards. “You can’t cover every nook and cranny in a large facility,” Clark says. “Cameras are just an enhancement to what we do.”

Some of DSI’s 600 clients include AAA Cooper Transportation, Community Health Systems, Wayne-Sanderson Farms and the Ryder Corp. DSI also just renewed a national contract with BMW, providing security for the carmaker across the U.S. When DSI takes over security operations for a company, “We’re like a police department at that facility,” Clark says. “We handle access control, we check cargo, we make sure the right truck is leaving a facility and, vice versa, make sure the right truck is coming back in.” The company also works with other law enforcement in the area. “We try our best to be partners with law enforcement wherever we are,” Clark says. “They need us, and we need them. Many times, they’ll need our cameras that we have in certain areas.” DSI Security Services has remained a family-owned and family-run business. Clark, the company’s board chairman, owns 49% of DSI. His wife, Marty, is president and owns 51%, making it the largest Women’s Business Enterprise Council Certified employer in Alabama. The Clarks’ two sons are also part of the business. Boyd is DSI’s sales and marketing director, and Deavours is a regional manager. The company still works with the same philosophy A.B. Clark instilled in it 54 years ago. The DWYSYWD that’s part of the DSI logo means “Do What You Say You Will Do.” Clark has seen the company grow from its humble beginnings, but he still says “the sky’s the limit” when it comes to growth. “There have been rumors for 30 years that personnel are going to go away, and that’s not going to happen,” he says. “Camera resolution is going to get better and better, but you still need people to monitor cameras and for access control. It can’t all be done by robots.” And Clark thinks DSI Security Services will continue to be in the thick of it. “We’ve got a lot of guys and girls who have been working here a long time, and that makes it easier,” he says.

Alan Clark and Marty Clark are married and co-owners of DSI Security Services. Photo from DSI Security Services.

Alec Harvey is executive editor of Business Alabama. ˙He is based in Birmingham. July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 63

64 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 65

Economic Engines Delta Connection offers twice daily flights between Dothan Regional Airport and Atlanta. AGRIBUSINESS

Peanuts are big business in Houston and Henry counties. The U.S. Department of Agriculture National Agricultural Statistics Service (NASS) estimates that in 2022 Houston County was the top peanut-producing county in Alabama with almost 107 million pounds of peanuts harvested. Henry County harvested around 56.5 million pounds of peanuts. The other top peanut producing counties are Geneva, Baldwin and Escambia. Overall, the NASS estimates that Alabama produced 559 million pounds of peanuts in 2022, making Alabama second in the United States in peanut production behind Georgia. Meanwhile, in Henry County, Golden Peanut & Tree Nut in Headland is one of the county’s largest employers with 99 employees. But the Wiregrass Region is also cotton country. In 2021, Houston

B U S I N E S S MAY 2023: LBA Hospitality, a hotel management company based in Dothan, announces it will add a new brand to its portfolio, avid hotel by IHG in Ocala, Florida. APRIL 2023: Construction Partners Inc. (CPI), a civil infrastructure company specializing in constructing and maintaining roadways, acquires Pickens Construction Inc. of Anderson, South Carolina. CPI will integrate approximately 20 employees who will

County was among the state’s top two cotton producers at 43,300 bales, behind Madison County at 57,000 bales, according to the USDA. On the other hand, Henry County’s largest export is timber. It is home to Great Southern Wood Preserving. And Abbeville Fiber, which is owned by Great Southern Wood, produces 200,000 feet of finished wood a day and procures an estimated $14 to $15 million in yellow pine timber from local suppliers, according to the Henry County Economic Development Council. The council also reports that Henry County has 240,000 acres of timberland, and the timber industry provides more than 270 jobs. In Dothan, one of the area’s largest employers is the chicken processing company Wayne Farms. AVIATION

Dothan Regional Airport is one of six major airports in Alabama, with 428

B R I E F S

work at CPI’s South Carolina platform company, King Asphalt Inc. MARCH 2023: Global Resources International and its subsidiary, Advanced Product Solutions, announce plans for a $1.6 million expansion in Houston County. GRI provides medical devices and industrial products and is headquartered in Flowery Branch, Georgia. MARCH 2023: Flowers Insurance Agency in Dothan announces a

66 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

employees and a payroll of nearly $21 million. A study by the Aviation Council of Alabama, published in 2020, calculated the airport’s economic impact at $93.7 million with a payroll impact of more than $50.7 million. The Dothan Regional Airport is also home to the CAE Dothan Training Center. Open since 2017, the CAE Training Center is a high-tech, 79,000-square-foot facility that provides fixed-wing flight instruction and training to the U.S. Air Force, U.S. Navy, U.S. Army and others. HEALTH CARE

Health care is a major driver of Houston County’s economy. Southeast Health, a community-based academic health system, serves 460,000 residents. The health system includes the Medical Center, Medical Group, Foundation, Southeast Health Statera Network and the Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine. The Southeast Health Medical Center is a 420-bed regional referral center and one of three certified comprehensive stroke centers in Alabama. It is also a Level II trauma center. In addition, Southeast Health has a chest pain center and the only NICU in its region with specialty trained neonatologists. Southeast Health employs around 3,000 people and was named in Forbes Source: Economic development officials

merger with Where Relationships Matter Group. The merger makes Flowers the third company to join WRM, an entity formed with the earlier merger between PritchettMoore Insurance and Byars|Wright Insurance.

truck and bus mechanics, diesel engine specialists, and forklift and CDL class B drivers.

JANUARY 2023: Wallace Community College in Dothan captures a $300,796 Alabama Community College System grant for industrial diesel systems technology training. The training will help meet the need for trained

NOVEMBER 2022: Friend Bank, a Community Development Financial Institution in Dothan, is one of two Alabama banks and one of seven in the Southeast selected by Regions Bank for a program that lets customers access

DECEMBER 2022: Circle City Brewing Co. opened in downtown Dothan, offering craft beers and live entertainment.

Regions Bank ATMs without having to pay out-of-network fees. OCTOBER 2022: Summerford Pallet Co. in Ashford announces the addition of robotics to its operation, automating processes like precision pallet and board sawing. SEPTEMBER 2022: Gateway Tire, operated by the wholesale and retail tire dealer Dunlap & Kyle Inc., is investing $9 million to expand its 200,000-square-foot warehouse in Dothan’s Westgate Industrial

S P O T L I G H T: ECO N O M I C E N G I N E S

magazine’s list of Best-in-State Employers for 2022. Forbes and Statista Inc., the statistics portal and industry ranking provider, sponsored the award. Meanwhile Flowers Hospital’s CEO Jeff Brannon reported in May 2023 that Flowers’ overall total economic impact stood at more than $263 million in 2022. Flowers also provided care to more than 303,200 patients, including more than 40,700 who visited the emergency department and more than 12,100 inpatient admissions. The hospital has also performed more than 15,000 surgeries and delivered more than 1,400 babies. In addition, Brannon reported 234,000 patient cases through Flowers’ Medical Group physician clinics and outpatient sites, including the Breast Health Center, Cardiac Rehabilitation, the Sleep-Wake Disorders Center and outpatient speech therapy program. Another health care entity, medical device and industrial products maker Global Resources International, and its subsidiary, Advanced Product Solutions, announced earlier this year a $1.6 million expansion in Houston County to the old Russell Corp. building. The expansion will create 36 jobs. MANUFACTURING/ LOGISTICS/DISTRIBUTION

The number of manufacturers, industrial

Park by 100,000 square feet. The expansion is estimated to bring 30 new jobs. SEPTEMBER 2022: SmartLam North America in Dothan announces plans to invest $62 million to build a new high-tech, 140,000-square-foot plant to produce glulam beams and columns. SEPTEMBER 2022: Peak Renewables plans to invest $30 million to build a new wood pellet production plant. The plant, which turns mill

parks and distribution centers in Houston and Henry counties are many. The various sectors range from distillers, food processing and logistics to tire manufacturing, wood manufacturing, industrial systems and medical devices. RETAIL/TOURISM

Leaders in Houston and Henry counties are working to make the region a shopping and entertainment destination. The Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, as part of its Grow Dothan campaign, worked successfully to bring the women’s clothing retailer Simply 10 to the city’s southside. The region also boasts several theme parks, museums and restaurants. Headland in Henry County has a robust agri-tourism sector with destinations like Corndodgers Farm and the Todd Syrup Farm. Dothan maintains public parks with amenities like the Rip Hewes Athletic Complex for athletic events. “We’ve made significant investments in our sports tourism. So, we have a lot of new fields, baseball fields and softball fields,” says Brandon Shoupe, chairman of the Houston County Commission. “The great thing about sports tourism, especially with it as it relates to youth sports, is that parents come. Grandparents come. Sometimes aunts and uncles come. A lot of times they’ll stay in a hotel for

residuals into fuel, will will run 24 hours a day, seven days a week. AUGUST 2022: SmartBank, headquartered in Tennessee, announces its acquisition of the historic Ellison Building in downtown Dothan, with plans to relocate its Dothan branch there. AUGUST 2022: The city of Dothan and the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology team to develop the new HudsonAlpha Wiregrass. The facility

TAXES PROPERTY TAX HENRY COUNTY: 18.5 mills

HOUSTON COUNTY: 13.0 mills STATE OF ALABAMA: 6.5 mills

SALES TAX HENRY COUNTY: 2% Cities within the county

Abbeville: 4%

Headland: 3% HOUSTON COUNTY: 1% Cities within the county

Dothan: 4% Kinsey: 4%

Rehobeth: 3% Webb: 3%

Cottonwood: 3% Cowarts: 2%

STATE OF ALABAMA: 4% Source: Alabama Department of Revenue

a night or two, go out to restaurants and shop and so it’s a good return on investment.”

will promote genomics education, provide genomics research on Alabama peanuts, recruit agriculture tech startups and support small businesses and entrepreneurs.

APRIL 2022: Thirdparty logistics warehouse operator Dothan Warehouse announces an $8 million, 30,000-square-foot expansion, adding 25 new jobs.

JUNE 2022: Dothan and Houston County officials, members of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce and others break ground on a new 100,000-square-foot speculative building in the Sam Houston Industrial Park in hopes of attracting new industry.

NOVEMBER 2021: FedEx Ground announces plans to open a $57 million logistics facility in Houston County — a 317,000-square-foot facility in the Sam Houston Industrial Park. The move is expected to create more than 200 jobs.

NOVEMBER 2021: Great Southern Wood Preserving in Abbeville announces its acquisition of Kentucky-based Escue Wood Preserving for an undisclosed amount. Great Southern produces YellaWood brand of pressure-treated pine. OCTOBER 2021: The Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce announces plans to bring the women’s clothing retailer Simply 10 to the city.

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 67

Movers & Shapers LINDSAY RANE CARTER is the

director of external affairs for Great Southern Wood Preserving Inc. She is a graduate of Auburn University and the Jones School of Law. She has served on the Business Council of Alabama’s directors and has been active with Innovate Alabama. DENNIS COE is superintendent of

Dothan City Schools. He is a graduate of Wallace Community College, Troy State University and holds a doctorate from Alabama State University. His 35 years in education include teaching, coaching and administration at several Wiregrass school districts, and he worked as director of the Office of Supporting Programs for the Alabama State Department of Education. MACKROYCE CORBITT JR. is the

owner of Computer Printing Etc. in Dothan. He is a graduate of Talladega College. He also is president and chairman of the Entrepreneurship Council in Dothan, which fosters startups throughout the Wiregrass region. KEVIN COWPER is city manager

for the city of Dothan. He holds a bachelor’s degree from the University of South Alabama and a master’s from the University of Memphis. He is a member of the American Institute of Certified Planners. He is also a graduate of the International City/County Management Association, its Emerging Leaders Development Program and an ICMA credentialed manager. 68 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

COLTON CURETON is vice president

of economic development for the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce. He is a graduate of Troy University and holds a doctorate from Liberty University. He joined the Chamber as director of retail and redevelopment in 2021 before his promotion to vice president in 2022. Cureton is a member of the Economic Development Association of Alabama and the Dothan Rotary Club.

the University of Alabama at Birmingham Heersink School of Medicine, Wills Eye Hospital in Philadelphia, Troy University, Wallace Community College, Wiregrass Museum of Art, Dothan Boys and Girls Club and the Wiregrass Humane Society. ROBERT HAYNE HOLLIS III is

Bank & Trust in Dothan. He is a graduate of Auburn University. He also is a board member for the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, Southeast Health Foundation and the Wiregrass United Way.

chairman of the board of Hollis & Spann Inc., a general contractor in Dothan. He holds a bachelor’s degree in building science from Auburn University. He is chairman of the city of Dothan’s Industrial Development Board, a member of the Dothan/Houston County Airport Authority and the Flowers Hospital board of directors.

MARK FELLOWS is vice president of

MICHAEL JACKSON is co-founder

WALT ELLIS is city president at Troy

Eastern Technologies Inc. in Ashford. He also is one of ETI’s founding partners, its radiation safety officer, and sits on the board of Global Resources International (GRI), the company ETI merged with in 2013. He holds a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University. ALLISON HALL is director of leisure

services for the city of Dothan. She has a bachelor’s degree from Sweet Briar College and a master’s from Auburn University. She is past president of United Way of Lee County and is active with the Public Relations Council of Alabama-East Alabama. MARNIX HEERSINK M.D. is an eye

surgeon and founder of Eye Center South in Dothan. His support for philanthropic, educational and charitable causes includes

and executive director of the DuBois Institute, a social enterprise operating a community garden called Katie's Garden, which promotes wellness and teaches underserved residents how to grow healthy produce. Jackson is a Morehouse College graduate and serves on the Dothan Housing Authority, the Dothan Historic Preservation Commission and the Dothan Alumni of Kappa Alpha Psi fraternity Board of Directors. RAY MARLER is serving his fourth

term as mayor of Headland. He is a graduate of Troy State University and is employed with the Alabama Department of Agriculture. He serves on the boards of

S P O T L I G H T: M OV E R S & S H A PE R S

the Henry County United Way, Southeast Gas and the Southeast Alabama Rural Health Association. DEAN MITCHELL is director of

HudsonAlpha Wiregrass, a publicprivate partnership between the city of Dothan and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology in Huntsville. Mitchell is a University of Georgia alumnus and a graduate of the Institute of Organizational Management, Dothan 101, Leadership Dothan and Leadership Alabama. He is past executive director of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce and was Alabama’s 2022 Chamber Professional of the Year. JIMMY MONEY is the mayor of

Abbeville. In addition, he serves on the Southeast Gas board and the Henry County Economic Development Authority board.

DAVID PARSONS CPA is the

managing partner of ParsonsGroup LLC, an accounting firm based in Dothan. Parsons holds an accounting degree from the University of Alabama. He is past chairman and current board member of the Wiregrass Foundation; chairman of the Houston, Henry, Geneva and Dale Counties Industrial Development Authority; past chairman of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce and a board member of Flowers Hospital and the Wiregrass Pet Rescue and Adoption Center. DEREK RATCHFORD is CEO of

SmartLam North America, headquartered in Dothan. He holds degrees from Clemson University and the University of Idaho.

IZELL REESE is CEO of RCX Sports.

The Dothan native attended the University of Alabama at Birmingham before playing in the NFL for the Dallas Cowboys, the Denver Broncos and the Buffalo Bills. BRANDON SHOUPE is chairman of

the Houston County Commission and an executive committee member of the Alabama School of Cybertechnology and Engineering in Huntsville. Shoupe, who earned a bachelor’s degree from Auburn University, owns Kaiser Capital Investments LLC, investing in ecommerce companies.

Largest Industrial Employers HENRY COUNTY GREAT SOUTHERN WOOD PRESERVING | ABBEVILLE Treated lumber, YellaWood 175 employees

TRIDELTA SYSTEMS | ABBEVILLE Industrial Systems • 115 employees

ABBEVILLE FIBER | ABBEVILLE Sawmill • 102 employees

GOLDEN PEANUT & TREE NUT HEADLAND

Shelled peanuts and seed peanuts 99 employees

RED STAR YEAST | HEADLAND Baker’s yeast • 47 employees

BRANDY WHITE is superintendent of

Houston County Schools. White earned his AA and master’s degrees from Troy University’s Dothan campus. He is a former teacher and coach, and worked as assistant principal at Webb Elementary School in Houston County for nine years. He is also a former co-owner of Southern Home Builders.

HOUSTON COUNTY WAYNE FARMS LLC | DOTHAN

Chicken processing • 1,000 employees

SOUTHERN NUCLEAR OPERATIONS CO. | DOTHAN

Electricity generation • 950 employees

MICHELIN NORTH AMERICA INC. Dothan Tire production • 550 employees

MCLANE CO. INC. | DOTHAN

JEFF WILLIAMS is SmartBank’s

regional president for South Alabama. A graduate of the University of Alabama, he also holds credentials from the Executive Education Program at the University of Texas and Samford University’s Community Banking School. He is vice chairman of the Dothan Housing Authority, executive board member of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce and a 2012 graduate of Leadership Dothan.

Distribution/Logistics/Transportation 500 employees

AAA COOPER TRANSPORTATION Dothan Distribution/Logistics/Transportation 375 employees

TWITCHELL CORP. | DOTHAN

Manufacturing/Production/Wholesale 350 employees

COMFORT SYSTEMS USA SOUTHEAST | DOTHAN

Heating and cooling • 260 employees Sources: Local economic development officials

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 69

Health Care

Flowers Hospital. SOUTHEAST HEALTH

Southeast Health is a nonprofit community health system in Dothan. The hospital maintains 425 beds and has 3,000 employees. Southeast Health offers clinical, surgical and diagnostic care for patients across the region. Physicians at Southeast Health recently performed the hospital’s 250th successful Transcatheter Aortic Valve Replacement procedure. In addition, Forbes magazine added Southeast Health to its list of Best-inState Employers for 2022, an award presented by Forbes and Statista Inc., a statistics portal and industry ranking provider. The award was based on reviews by employees. FLOWERS HOSPITAL

Southeast Health. 70 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

Flowers Hospital in Dothan is a regional medical referral center. With 235 beds, the hospital offers a range of medical services, including in- and out-patient care, emergency care and diagnostic and

surgical care. The hospital in 2022 introduced PeriWatch Vigilance, an AI-based maternal-fetal early warning system, to improve health outcomes for mothers during labor and delivery. PeriWatch monitors fetal heart rate, contractions, labor and mothers’ vital signs to identify potential crises. The hospital delivers more than 1,400 infants annually. ENCOMPASS HEALTH REHABILITATION HOSPITAL OF DOTHAN

Encompass Health offers inpatient rehabilitation care for patients in Dothan and the surrounding Wiregrass Region. Medical services provided in the 56room facility include amputee and stroke rehabilitation, joint replacement and cardiac care, as well as care for patients suffering from a variety of conditions, from diabetes, cancer and arthritis to burns, neurological disorders, trauma and hip fractures. The facility employs 200 people. NOLAND HOSPITAL DOTHAN

Noland Hospital in Dothan, housed inside Southeast Health Medical Center, offers pulmonary care, infectious disease management, wound care and treatment for patients with complex conditions such as head and spinal injuries, multi-system organ failure and renal failure. LAUREL OAKS BEHAVIORAL HEALTH CENTER

Laurel Oaks offers acute psychiatric hospitalization and intensive, longer-term residential treatment for youngsters ages 4 to 18. The center treats patients suffering from severe psychiatric disorders, mild or moderate intellectual disabilities and cognitive delays, high-risk behaviors, as well as abuse and neglect. SPECTRACARE HEALTH SYSTEMS

SpectraCare Health Systems, based in Dothan, is a public non-profit corporation that provides mental health, intellectual disability and substance abuse services. SpectraCare recently announced its plans to open a mental health crisis center this year in Dothan. July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 71

Higher Education

Wallace Community College - Dothan. ALABAMA COLLEGE OF OSTEOPATHIC MEDICINE

The Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine in Dothan is a four-year, private institution licensed by the Alabama Department of Public Education and accredited through the American Osteopathic Association Commission on Osteopathic College Accreditation. Open since 2013, the college’s first graduating class marched in 2017. Graduates receive a Doctor of Osteopathic Medicine degree. WALLACE COMMUNITY COLLEGE-DOTHAN

Wallace Community College is a public institution offering academic, health and career technical programs, as well as fasttrack and workforce development. The college provides instruction at its Wallace Campus in Dothan, as well as its Sparks Campus in Eufaula. WCCD’s career technical programs include air conditioning and refrigeration, basic Mig and industrial welding, automotive technology, masonry technology, cosmetology, basic maintenance technician training 72 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

and computer information sciences. The college’s health-related programs include associate degree nursing, practical nursing, RN to BSN mobility, emergency medical services, phlebotomy, radiologic technologist, Kingdom College. respiratory therapist and dental assistant, to name a few. The 152 graduates of the WCCD Associate Degree Nursing program achieved an outstanding pass rate of 95.39% on the NCLEX exam for 2022, the second-highest pass rate for 2022 in the Alabama Community College System. An independent study on the Alabama Community College System conducted by Lightcast estimates that WCCD alone has a total economic impact of nearly

$164 million annually on the Wiregrass service area and adds nearly 3,000 jobs. Moreover, the study finds that WCCD’s activities and its students support one in every 49 jobs in the WCCD service area, and WCCD’s operation spending has an annual impact of $32.6 million. The study was based on FY 2021 data from ACCS colleges, the Bureau of Labor Statistics and the U.S. Census.

S P O T L I G H T: H I G H E R E D U C AT I O N

WCCD recently entered into an agreement with the City of Dothan to provide its Skills for Success Commercial Driver’s License training course to 15 current city employees. The training will give the city employees the skills needed to pass the federal Class A CDL test. The Lumina Foundation awarded WCCD a $75,000 grant to increase adult student enrollment in credit and non-credit programs. Lumina is an independent, private foundation based in Indianapolis that is working to provide more after-high-school educational opportunities for adult learners. WCCD was one of 20 community colleges nationwide and one of two community colleges in Alabama tapped for a Lumina Foundation grant funding. WCCD announced plans recently to offer a free Food and Beverage Services training course. The two-day course would be offered as a pilot program with the aim of helping to fill shortages of workers in the local hospitality industry. Students will learn best practices for customer service, food and kitchen safety, beverage service, cooking techniques and management principles in the hospitality industry. The program will also teach current laws and regulations that impact the food and beverage business, labor and restaurant management, purchasing procedures inventory and food costs. WCCD is offering the course for the Alabama Community College System Innovation Center and in collaboration with the Visit Dothan and the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, along with the Wiregrass Rehabilitation Center, Southeast AlabamaWorks and former NFL player Izell Reese. WCCD’s Adult Education Program offers basic literacy instruction, GED preparation classes, college and career preparation, English as a Second Language and academic support. Additionally, WCCD’s Fast Track and Workforce Development Training programs prepare students for in-demand jobs like industrial welding, medical coding, heavy equipment operator, preapprentice electrical line worker, food and beverage services, certified nursing assistant, and many others.

TROY UNIVERSITY

Troy University is a public institution with campuses in Troy, Montgomery, Phenix City and Dothan. The Dothan campus is a nontraditional campus that offers more than 60 degree programs for adult learners.

KINGDOM COLLEGE

Kingdom College in Headland is a Christian college that prepares students for service and ministry with degree programs that include Biblical studies, master of divinity, clinical mental health counseling, psychology and a certificate program in lay counseling.

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 73

Community Development HOUSTON COUNTY

Plans are in the works to revitalize Dothan’s city center. The project will include a new 6,000-seat arena to replace the current civic center and a new culture and arts center for art exhibitions and theatre productions, an outdoor amphitheater and a new “Events Street” between St. Andrews Street and Museum Avenue that could be closed off for outdoor events. The first phase of the project began recently with the demolition of the old Dothan Utilities building that is next door to the historic Dothan Opera House. The Opera House, under the plan, will eventually get an upgrade that will include a new lobby and south wing. Colton Cureton, vice president of economic development for the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, says the revitalization of the city center will help attract young people, like him, and families to live and work in Dothan. “The work that the city leaders are doing to revitalize downtown is Home to museums, going to be super important as we entertainment venues and continue to recruit individuals to niche retailers, Dothan's come to Dothan to live here and downtown is undergoing a continue to increase our workforce revitalization. base,” the 28-year-old Cureton says. Besides revitalizing its downtown, Parker says HudsonAlpha is already the city of Dothan is also working instructing some local school children in to boost research and economic Dothan on several science projects. development. “It’s opening up a whole new door The city partnered last year with the to science, technology and research and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology creating new opportunities that these kids to establish a public-private partnership probably wouldn’t have if we didn’t have for the creation of HudsonAlpha this partnership,” Parker says. Wiregrass. This new institute will foster In Taylor, the city council broke agricultural research and economic ground for a new wastewater treatment development, as well as educational plant. The project will be paid for through opportunities. a bond issue and grant monies from the “The thing that we’ve always wanted Houston County Commission and the to do is to have an opportunity to do Alabama Department of Environmental more research and development,” says Management. The plant is estimated to Matt Parker, the Dothan Area Chamber cost $6.2 million. of Commerce president. “And obviously Also in Houston County, in the town we’ve got a strong agriculture backyard of Cottonwood, a new clinic called here that creates a lot of opportunities to Modern Health Family Care Practice enhance economics and plant life. So that opened its doors in February. Jessica Jones unique partnership is already in motion, is CEO of Modern Health Family Care, and its already impacting our classrooms.”

which provides both in-person primary and urgent care, as well as televisits. She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from Troy University, a master’s nursing degree from South University and her Doctor of Nursing Practice from the University of Alabama. Meanwhile, last year the University of Alabama at Birmingham School of Dentistry announced its plans to open a dental clinic in Dothan to address the state’s shortage of dentists. UAB faculty and staff members will operate the clinic. And in a plan to provide more mental health services to the region, SpectraCare Health Systems Inc. has received $7 million from the state government to open a behavioral health crisis center in Dothan. The SpectraCare Diversion Center will provide mental health and substance use care and will be a place July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 75

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

The annual Abbeville Christmas Parade attracts residents and visitors to the area.

where police and emergency medical personnel could bring patients suffering from a mental health crisis. Efforts also are underway to provide more housing options in downtown Dothan. The Town Terrace Inn on North Oates Street is being renovated into a gated apartment community with upscale, one- and two-bedroom units. In addition, developers have been refurbishing the historic Malone Motor Co. building on South St. Andrews Street to turn it into upscale apartments in downtown Dothan. Also, the Dothan City Commission this year approved a contract with Lewis Construction Inc. for close to $11.7 million to construct two new fire stations. Construction of both building projects will take place on Main Street and Wheatley Drive and are expected to be complete by next summer. Starting this school year, Dothan City Schools students will have equal access to school meals through a federal Community Eligibility Provision for free 76 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

breakfast and lunch meals. Dothan City Board of Education recently approved the move that will provide free breakfast and lunch to students in the school system for four years, starting in 2023-2024. CEP is a free meal service option for schools and school districts with many low-income students. Also, this year, Dothan Tech held an open house to showcase recent renovations to the school. The upgrades cost $7.5 million. Dothan Tech, which is part of the Dothan City Schools district, specializes in workforce development with a host of career technical courses ranging from welding, automotive technology and building instruction to biomedical science and pre-engineering. The total upgrade at Dothan Tech included new equipment such as a new kitchen layout for the culinary arts program and supplies for the health science program. HENRY COUNTY

In neighboring Henry County, the County Commission approved a 20-year

tax abatement for a solar project owned by Hecate Energy. The renewable energy company, headquartered in Chicago, will construct a ground-mounted, 80-megawatt solar facility on property located northwest of the city of Headland near County Roads 12 and 45. Also, a federal FY23 omnibus package is providing $13 million to the Abbeville Municipal Airport to lengthen a runway by 1,600 feet to become a 5,000-foot runway. The city of Abbeville’s Mayor Jimmy Money says the municipality is also looking at revitalizing its downtown. “We’re in the process of looking at doing some things that have been badly needed downtown in the recreation end of it,” Money says. “The state was kind enough to give us the old National Guard Armory, which we are turning into a recreation center and gym complex and for all kinds of activities like dancing and basketball. We have martial arts classes and dance classes that have already started there.”

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 77

Culture & Recreation

Opera House.

Landmark Park. FUN IS THE THEME

Family fun is in the plans with visits to any of several Wiregrass destinations, like Adventureland Theme Park with its arcade, go-karts, bumper boats, batting cages and mini golf. Corndodgers Farm in Headland offers pony and wagon rides, a corn maze and other old-fashioned fun. Water World in Dothan features a water slide, 450,000-gallon Rip Tide Wave Pool, Twister Slides and Kids Cove. ARMY AWE

At the Army Aviation Museum at Fort Rucker, visitors can learn about the history of Army aviation. The museum exhibits include 160 military aircraft and the world’s largest collection of military helicopters. HISTORIC HIGHLIGHTS

Civil rights icon Rosa Parks grew up on a 260-acre farm in Abbeville. The Rosa Parks Childhood Home still stands but is not open for tours. Cherry Street AME Church, organized in 1877, is known as the “Mother Church” of the AME denomination in Alabama. Bethune/ Kennedy House in Henry County was 78 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

Botanical Gardens.

built by local physician William Calvin Bethune around 1870 and sold to the Kennedy family in 1885. It’s listed on the Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage and the National Register of Historic Places. “Soldier In the Window” Stained Glass Memorial, at the Methodist church in Abbeville, is a favorite of visitors. It depicts a soldier in his World War I uniform, a Doughboy, holding a rifle with an angel behind him.

decorated peanut statues all around the town. Also in Dothan, Shute Pecan Co., open since 1929, buys and sells pecans and peanuts.

MUSE ON

MONUMENTAL OPTIONS

CATCH A SHOW

The Dothan Civic Center & Opera House hosts everything from concerts, recitals and plays to meetings and sporting events. Southeast Alabama Community Theater, established in 1974, showcases local talent. The Uptown, open Friday and Saturday nights in Dothan, features live jazz, open mic nights and “Drip ‘N’ Sip” events where patrons can paint while enjoying fine wines.

E.R. Porter Hardware Museum, long the oldest continually operating hardware store in Alabama, opened in 1889 and is preserved as it was the day it closed in 2014. The George Washington Carver Interpretive Museum showcases the contributions to arts and sciences made by African Americans, including its namesake, the scientist George Washington Carver. Wiregrass Museum of Art, housed inside what was once the city of Dothan’s electric and water plant, displays works by contemporary artists from around the state and the Southeast.

Joseph Monument and Memorial Park near the Wiregrass Museum of Art honors the biblical origin of the city name: Genesis 37:17, “For I heard them say, ‘Let us go to Dothan,’” that inspired city founders in 1885 to name the city. A replica of the Statue of Liberty stands along Alabama 10 in Abbeville to honor Giuseppe Reina, grandfather of Jimmy Rane, the founder and CEO of Abbeville’s Great Southern Wood Preserving. Reina immigrated from Sicily in 1907 at the age of 29.

GARDEN PATHS

Landmark Park in Dothan focuses on the Wiregrass Region’s historic past, with an 1890s farmstead with farm animals, smokehouse, cane mill, general store and one-room schoolhouse. Todd Syrup Farm in Headland is a seventh-generation family farm with a museum teaching the history of syrup making. The farm also has a general store and café. The ATTA in downtown Abbeville is a new library of

Dothan Area Botanical Gardens feature 50 acres of nature trails, cultivated gardens and undeveloped wooded landscape. NUTS TO YOU

Known as the “Peanut Capital of the World,” Dothan celebrates its fame with Peanuts Around Town, whimsically

RELAX AND LEARN

S P O T L I G H T: C U LT U R E & R EC R E AT I O N

STEM and history offering visitors of all ages a chance to learn history and scientific concepts through the interactive displays. MURALS TO VIEW

Dothan celebrates its local history and hometown heroes in Murals of the Wiregrass throughout downtown. Film star Johnny Mack Brown and Tuskegee Airman Sherman Rose are among those featured.

Park, Dothan’s largest, offers a nature trail, recreation center, the Water World water park and Miracle Field for Miracle League baseball.

with lessons, training and boarding. Its banquet room is available for weddings and other events.

HEAD OUTDOORS

Keel and Co. Distilling in Headland makes bourbon whiskey, rums, vodka and gin, and visitors can taste before they buy. Friday and Saturday nights feature live entertainment.

Lake Eufaula on the Chattahoochee River offers fishing and boating, plus lakeside parks, eateries and festivities. Southern Cross Ranch is a horse ranch

TAKE A SIP

THINK SMALL

“Ripley’s Believe It or Not” called this triangle patch of land in Dothan “The World’s Smallest City Block,” followed by recognition in 1964 by the Camellia Garden Club of Dothan. OH, SHOOT!

Ravenwood Sporting Clays is designed for skeet shooting enthusiasts. The facility includes a club house and pavilion. FORE!

Golf options abound in the Wiregrass. Highland Oaks is part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail and features 36 holes, a pro shop, dining and a lounge. Roundabout Plantation Golf offers a driving range and lessons from experts. Celebrated architect Robert Simmons designed the 18-hole course at Dothan National Hotel and Golf Club. Dothan Driving Range and Golf Shop offers club repair, lessons and practice sessions. Silver Wings Golf Club at Fort Rucker offers a 27-hole course that’s available to military and civilian players. The semiprivate Headland Country Club has golf, a pool and club house. PARKS ABOUND

Doug Tew Community Center offers a recreation center, five ball fields, swimming pool, playground and picnic area. Eastgate Park amenities include a two-mile walking trail, boardwalk, catchand-release fish ponds, disc golf course, archery range, dog park and greenspace for picnics. James Oates Park, Dothan’s newest, features AstroTurf fields for baseball and softball. Rip Hewes Athletic Complex includes a 10,000-seat football stadium, six tennis courts, two softball fields and a baseball field. Westgate July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 79

80 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

Company Kudos

by ERICA JOINER WEST

DSI Security Services, headquartered in Dothan, has been named the largest Women’s Business Enterprise National Council certified employer in Alabama. DSI has been WBE certified since 2011 and employs more than 5,400 security personnel who provide services to various markets including automotive, aviation, educational campuses, food processing, health care facilities, manufacturing centers, ports, trucking logistics and more. The company has 28 offices and serves 33 states.

Alabama State University has claimed Southwestern Athletic Conference’s James Frank Commissioner’s Cup and the Sadie Magee/Barbara Jacket Award. The awards are determined by program finishes in league sponsored sports. Austal USA has been recognized by the Shipbuilding Council of America with the 2022 Excellence in Safety and Improvement in Safety awards. This brings Austal’s SCA safety awards total to 17. Baker Donelson has earned the Minority Corporate Counsel Association Approved 2023 Gold Seal for its efforts in diversity, equity and inclusion. In addition, for a seventh consecutive year, the firm has been named to Seramount’s list of Best Law Firms for Women & Diversity. Carolina Handling, a material handling solutions provider that has an office in Birmingham, has been named a World’s Best Sales Organization for 2023 by RepVue, a sales organization rating platform. The company is one of 20 winners from the 20,000 sales organizations tracked by RepVue. Faulkner University’s online executive master’s in business administration program placed first in Alabama and no. 3 overall in the Nonprofit Colleges Online ranking. Faulkner’s program can be completed in a year online. In addition, the university’s chapter of the National Student Speech Language Hearing Association has been awarded gold chapter honors for its recruitment and engagement.

Horne, a professional services firm that has seven locations in Alabama, has earned The Cyber AB Certified ThirdParty Assessor Organization designation, which allows it to perform cybersecurity assessments for organizations seeking compliance through contractual agreements.

AUGUST The Business of Sports in Alabama Looking at Law Alabama’s Public Companies Geographic Spotlight: Limestone & Morgan Counties

Law firm Lightfoot, Franklin & White has secured Midsize Mansfield Certification Plus status from Diversity Lab.

SEPTEMBER

Luckie, a marketing agency, has successfully completed the Type 2 SOC 2 examination and the HIPAA Type 1 Attestation examination. These exams attest to policies and controls around the firm’s data services system.

Building Alabama Hot Projects & AGC 40 Under 40

PZI International Consulting has received the North Alabama International Trade Association’s 2023 Global Trade Award. PZI is a global human capital solutions company formed in Huntsville. Spring Hill College’s master’s degree program in nursing has been accredited by the Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education. The Thurgood Marshall College Fund has added six Historically Black Community Colleges — all in Alabama — to its membership. The new members are Bishop State, Drake State, Gadsden State, Lawson State, Shelton State and Trenholm State. WBHG 90.3 FM and the Gulf States Newsroom has won 12 Edward R. Murrow Awards for 2023.

Issues in Insurance Geographic Spotlight: Tuscaloosa County

Check BusinessAlabama.com for daily business headlines and additional content

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 81

RETROSPECT

Noted photographer Carol Highsmith photographed Harrison Bros., including a detail of the cash register, in 2010. Photos courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Layers of history

Harrison Bros. Hardware preserves more than just nuts and bolts

By SCOTTY E. KIRKLAND

or 126 years, Harrison Bros. Hardware has occupied the same place on Huntsville’s historic square. But there is more to the history of Alabama’s oldest operating hardware store than just nuts and bolts. Harrison Bros. is a preservation success story for the ages. In the late 1870s, brothers James B. and Daniel T. Harrison relocated from their native Tennessee to Huntsville in hopes of establishing a tobacco wholesale business. Huntsville at the dawn of the New South era was a place for such ambitions. In 1879, they opened their first shop on Jefferson Street. In 1897, after nearly 20 years in business, the brothers

82 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

R E T RO S PE C T

relocated their shop to the south side of the Harrison’s two sons, Daniel F. and John square in downtown Huntsville. They ocW., both of whom grew up in the business. cupied No. 3 Commercial Row, a keen spot When their father died in 1952, Harrison facing the Madison County Courthouse Bros. fell to them. For nearly 30 years, this and near the First National Bank. At the second generation of brothers continued the new location, the brothers still sold tobacco, family’s hardware business. Walking amidst but also marketed a line of crockery called the towering shelves of the store, they could Queen’s Ware and other kitchen utensils. extract the most obscure fitting, bolt or After the move, the two brothers welcomed utensil for their patrons and send them out into the business their younger sibling, the door with their wares wrapped in simple 25-year-old Robert S. Harrison, who brown paper bound with string. The store assumed management of the store. James and its owners assumed a kind of weathered Harrison, the elder brother, died in 1908. patina in the face of modernity. As HuntsWhen a fire swept through Commercial ville grew to become “Rocket City,” HarriRow in late December 1901, Harrison Bros. son Bros. Hardware embraced the comfortlost a reported $2,500 in inventory and ining familiarity of its unchanging ways. curred damages to the store of $2,000. But But time doesn’t stand still. Daniel F. from the destruction came an opportunity Harrison died in 1981, and when John fell for expansion into the adjacent storefront. ill in 1983 it seemed as though the family To repair the fire damage and stitch the two business might end with him. But on July buildings together, the brothers turned to 31, 1984, the store took on new life from a Daniel S. Brandon, a prolific brick mason somewhat unlikely source. The family sold and carpenter, who alongside his late father, the building, its inventory and the Harrison Henderson Brandon, had created one of the Bros. name to the Historic Huntsville Founmost successful African American busidation (HHF), a group founded in 1974 nesses in the region. When Harrison Bros. to encourage the preservation of historic A 1911 advertisement in the reopened in 1902, they added a line of structures in Madison County. Upon acquiHuntsville Times touted Harrison Bros. furniture and related items to their crockery sition, a small army of volunteers undertook and its array of items. Photo from the selection. an exhaustive inventory of the property, Alabama Department of Archives & Robert S. Harrison, as the story goes, was History. cataloging every implement, utensil and rather averse to the practice of paid advertisitem on the premises before opening the doors ing. When salesmen came to call, he would quickly cast them again to an expectant public. out of the store. If that is true, then it makes the few existing Thanks to the vision of the HHF, Harrison Bros. exists Harrison Bros. advertisements all the more important in telling today in much the same way it has for decades, but with added the story of the business. A 1911 ad, for example, encouraged purpose and an expanded inventory. In front of tall shelves still readers to eschew the trend of mail-order merchandising. “Give full of hardware stand racks and tables of local art and Alaus a try,” the ad read. “Our prices will convince you that there bama-made products. Ledgers on display offer a glimpse of the is no advantage in sending your dollars away from home. We store’s history, as does the operable early 1900s cash register. will save you the freight.” A 1921 advertisement for a new line You can still purchase old fobs and fixtures there, too, making of “lifetime aluminum” kitchen utensils, on sale for “less than the store an important part of the unceasing work of historic pre-war prices,” indicates the end of the metal shortages and preservation in the region. Harrison Bros. today includes exhibconsumer inflation experienced during World War I. it space to advance the mission of the HHF. A current display Two ads run 11 months apart reveal the ongoing effects of pays tribute to the lives and work of African American brickmathe Great Depression upon the store and its clientele. In March sons Henderson and Daniel S. Brandon. 1930, Harrison Bros. offered a new, 8-tube Sentinel radio for The history of Harrison Bros. presents itself as a kind of pa$125 (nearly $2,300 today). By February 1931, the model was limpsest. Like an old piece of parchment used again and again on discount, along with other radios, and the store was offering over time, the layers of its story mix together: the ambitious deferred payments and in-house financing. Happy days would dreams of two Tennessee brothers; the talented hands of a Black return soon enough, however, and in the summer of 1933 Harcraftsman restoring the building after a fire; two generations rison Bros. joined half-a-dozen other Huntsville hardware and of care and hard work by a family business to serve the public supply stores in supporting President Franklin D. Roosevelt’s need; and dedicated preservationists determined not to let this National Recovery program, including wage and working-hour landmark disappear. equalizations. “We are proud to be doing our part in this great You can find more than nails at Harrison Bros. Hardware. movement to return prosperity to America,” their ad read. By the time Daniel T. Harrison died in 1940, a new genHistorian Scotty E. Kirkland is a freelance contributor to Business Alabama. eration had begun working in the hardware store: Robert He lives in Wetumpka. July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 83

Index

A guide to businesses (bold) and individuals (light) mentioned in this month’s issue of Business Alabama.

68 Ventures.......................................................9

Bishop State Community College......................81

Daniel Corp......................................................10

Gadsden State Community College...................81

AAA Cooper Transportation......................... 62, 69

Blue Origin LLC..................................................9

David, Brian..................................................................12

Gateway Tire Southeast............................... 59, 66

Abbeville Fiber........................................... 66, 69

BMW AG...........................................................62

David, Miguel...............................................................86

GeneCapture Inc.................................................7

Abbeville Municipal Airport..............................59

Boeing Co..........................................................9

Davidson Technologies.......................................9

Genuine Parts Co..............................................86

Abbeville, City of.................................. 59, 68, 75

Brandon, Daniel S.........................................................82

Decatur Morgan County Tourism.........................8

Accounting Today.............................................41

Brandon, Henderson....................................................82

Decatur, City of...................................................8

George Washington Carver Interpretive Museum..................................78

Advanced Product Solutions.............................66

Brannon, Jeff................................................................66

Denver Broncos................................................68

Adventureland Theme Park..............................78

Brasfield & Gorrie...............................................9

Dickerson, Selena Rodgers...........................................86

Alabama Ag Credit............................................86

Breaux, Randy..............................................................86

Diversity Lab....................................................81

Alabama Bankers Association...........................48

Bronner, David................................................................8

Dixie Electric Cooperative, Montgomery............32

Alabama Banking School..................................48

Brown, Johnny Mack....................................................78

Doster Construction Co.....................................10

Alabama College of Osteopathic Medicine......................................... 59, 66, 72

Brundidge, City of............................................32

Dothan 101......................................................68

Bryant, Mark.................................................................14

Dothan Area Botanical Gardens.........................78

Buffalo Bills.....................................................68

Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce.......................59, 62, 66, 68, 72, 75

Alabama Community College System...... 8, 66, 72 Alabama Department of Agriculture..................68 Alabama Department of Commerce............. 11, 52 Alabama Department of Environmental Management........................75 Alabama Department of Labor..........................41 Alabama Department of Public Education..........72 Alabama Department of Transportation...............8 Alabama Electric Cooperative............................32 Alabama Folklife Association............................10 Alabama Power Co............................................32

Bureau of Labor Statistics..................................72 Business Council of Alabama............................68 Byars|Wright Insurance....................................66 CAE Dothan Training Center..............................66 Calhoun Community College..............................8 Camellia Garden Club, Dothan..........................78 Canfield, Greg...............................................................11 Canvas Learning System, Instructure Inc............48 Carby, Hyde..................................................................86

Dothan Historic Preservation Commission.........68 Dothan Housing Authority................................68 Dothan National Hotel and Golf Club.................78 Dothan Opera House............................ 59, 75, 78 Dothan Regional Airport...................................66

Central Alabama Electric Cooperative, Prattville.....................................................32

Alabama Southern Railroad................................9

CFD Research Corp..............................................7

Doug Tew Community Center............................78

Alabama State Department of Education...........68

Chambless King Architects................................10

Drake State Community & Technical College......81

Alabama State University............................ 68, 81

Charles Henderson Child Health Center.............44

DSI Security Services................................... 62, 81

Amazon Inc......................................................10

Chart Industries.................................................9

DuBois Institute...............................................68

American Bankers Association..........................48

CHELCO, DeFuniak Springs, Florida....................32

Dunlap & Kyle Inc.............................................66

American Cast Iron Pipe Co.................................7

Cherry Street AME Church.................................78

Dynetics Inc........................................................9

American Cruise Lines........................................8

China Construction Bank..................................52

E.R. Porter Hardware Museum..........................78

American Institute of Certified Planners............68

Circle City Brewing Co.......................................66

Eastern Technologies Inc...................................68

American Osteopathic Association............... 59, 72

Clark, A.B......................................................................62

Eastgate Park, Dothan.......................................78

AmSouth Bancorporation..................................36

Clark, Alan....................................................................62

EBSCO Industries Inc...........................................8

Andalusia Utilities Board..................................32

Clark, Boyd...................................................................62

Anglin, Reichmann and Armstrong...................41

Clark, Deavours.............................................................62

Economic Development Association of Alabama..................................................68

Area Development Magazine..............................7

Clark, Marty..................................................................62

Arizona Diamondbacks.....................................86

Clark, Runell.................................................................62

Army Aviation Museum....................................78

Clarke-Washington EMC, Jackson......................32

Association of International Certified Professional Accountants................41

Clemson University..........................................68

Aviation Council of Alabama.............................66 Avid Hotel by IHG.............................................66 Baker Donelson................................................81 Balch & Bingham..............................................86 Baldwin County Intracoastal Waterway Bridge....8 Baldwin EMC, Summerdale...............................32 Bank of Brewton..............................................44 Barksdale, Amanda.......................................................41 Barros, Laerte................................................................52 BBVA USA.........................................................52 Behnke, Fred................................................................86 BendPak Inc.......................................................9 Bethune, William Calvin...............................................78 Bethune/Kennedy House..................................78 Beyond Gravity................................................86 Biden, President Joe......................................................7 Birmingham Area Chamber of Commerce..........10 Birmingham Business Alliance.........................10 Birmingham Children's Theatre........................10 Birmingham Promise.........................................8 Birmingham-Southern College................... 41, 86 Birmingham, Jeannine................................................41

Comfort Systems USA Southeast........................69 Commercial Site Solutions................................10 Commission on Collegiate Nursing Education....81 Compassionate Collections...............................36 Computer Printing Etc......................................68 Construction Partners Inc..................................66 Controllers Council...........................................41 Cooper, John..................................................................8 Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative, Talladega......32 Coppage, Bo.................................................................44 Corbitt, Mackroyce Jr....................................................68 Corndodgers Farm...................................... 66, 78 Cottonwood, Town of........................................75 Courtney, Brian.............................................................86 Cowper, Kevin...............................................................68 CPA Journal.....................................................41 Craft, Alton......................................................................7 Cross, Tim.....................................................................36 Cullman Regional Medical Center.....................86 Cunningham, Jason.....................................................86 Cureton, Colton................................................59, 68, 75 Dallas Cowboys................................................68 Daniel Construction Co.....................................62

84 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

Gordon, Jon..................................................................44 Gorgas, William............................................................14 Graham & Co......................................................7

Great Southern Wood Preserving Inc....................... 59, 66, 68, 69, 78

Dothan Driving Range and Golf Shop................78

Alabama Society of Certified Public Accountants.......................................41

Austal USA............................................. 7, 81, 86

Goodwyn Mills Cawood....................................10

Graham, Matthew...........................................................7

Center for Business and Economic Research.........9

Columbia Southern University..........................86

Gonzalez, Luis...............................................................86

Dothan Civic Center .........................................78

Alabama School of Cybertechnology and Engineering..........................................68

Auburn University...................................... 41, 68

Golden Peanut & Tree Nut........................... 66, 69

Graham, Henry II............................................................7

Carter, Lindsay Rane.....................................................68

Coe, Dennis..................................................................68

GoDaddy Inc.......................................................9

Dothan City Schools.................................... 68, 75

Carolina Handling............................................81

ATTA, The, Abbeville..........................................78

Global Resources International................... 66, 68

Dothan Boys and Girls Clubs.............................68

Alabama Register of Landmarks and Heritage...78

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United..............................8

Gibson, Danielle.............................................................8

Dothan Security Inc..........................................62 Dothan Warehouse Inc......................................66 Dothan, City of.......................... 59, 66, 68, 72, 75 Dothan/Houston County Airport Authority.........68

Elba City Water Works & Electric Board..............32 Elliott, Justin.................................................................86 Ellis, Walt......................................................................68 Ellison Building, Dothan...................................66 Emmerson, Mark..........................................................11 Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital of Dothan.......................................70 Engle, Sharon...............................................................86 Entrepreneurship Council of Dothan.................68 Escambia River Electric Cooperative, Jay, Florida.32 Escue Wood Preserving.....................................66 Expedited Transport.........................................36 Eye Center South..............................................68 Eyer-Raden Building, Birmingham......................9 Federal Aviation Administration...................9, 59 Federal Bureau of Investigation..........................7 Federal Deposit Insurance Corp.........................44 FedEx Ground...................................................66 Fellows, Mark...............................................................68 Finlay, Carlos.................................................................14

Gulf Coast Electric Cooperative, Wewahitchka, Florida..................................32 Gulf States Newsroom......................................81 Hall, Allison..................................................................68 Hamiter, Angela...........................................................41 Hamiter, Ann................................................................48 Hampton, Meg.............................................................41 Harrison Bros. Hardware...................................82 Harrison, Daniel F.........................................................82 Harrison, Daniel T..........................................................82 Harrison, James B.........................................................82 Harrison, John W..........................................................82 Harrison, Robert S.........................................................82 Headland Country Club....................................78 Headland, City of........................................ 66, 68 HealthSouth Inc................................................10 Hecate Energy..................................................75 Heersink, Marnix..........................................................68 Helen Keller Foundation...................................18 Henderson, Gov. Charles..............................................44 Henry County ............................................ 59, 75 Henry County Economic Development Authority......................... 66, 68 Higgins, Allie................................................................44 Highland Oaks Golf Course...............................78 Hill, Danny....................................................................86 Historic Huntsville Foundation..........................82 Holcomb, Crystal..........................................................36 Hollis & Spann Inc............................................68 Hollis, Robert Hayne III................................................68 Holt, Ron.......................................................................30 Home Franchise Concepts.................................30 Horne LLP........................................................81 Horseshoe Bend National Military Park.............87 Horseshoe Lumber Co.......................................32 Houston County...............................................59 Houston County Commission...........59, 66, 68, 75 Houston County Schools...................................68 Houston, Henry, Geneva and Dale Counties Industrial Development Authority................68 Hudgins, Lani...............................................................86

First National Bank...........................................82

HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology................................. 66, 68, 75

FirstBank.........................................................86

HudsonAlpha Wiregrass....................... 66, 68, 75

Flowers Hospital.................................. 66, 68, 70

Huntsville Utilities.............................................8

Flowers Insurance Agency.................................66

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama...........52

Forbes Magazine........................................ 66, 70

Innovate Alabama............................................68

Ford, Byron...................................................................52

Institute of Organizational Management...........68

Fort Rucker.......................................................78

International City/County Management Association.............................68

Fortune Magazine..............................................7 Frennea, Barbara..........................................................86 Friend Bank............................................... 48, 66

International Society of Ocular Trauma..............18 Ivey, Gov. Kay......................................................7, 48, 86 Jackson, Michael..........................................................68

INDEX

James Oates Park, Dothan................................78

Murals of the Wiregrass, Dothan.......................78

Roosevelt, President Franklin D....................................82

Town Terrace Inn, Dothan..................................75

JamisonMoneyFarmer PC.................................41

NASA.................................................................9

Rosa Parks Childhood Home, Abbeville.............78

Trenholm State Community College..................81

Johnson, Lawrence.......................................................48

National Endowment for the Arts......................10

Rose, Sherman.............................................................78

Tridelta Systems......................................... 59, 69

Jones School of Law..........................................68

National Football League............................ 68, 72

Rosenberg Survey............................................41

Troy Bank & Trust Co................................... 44, 68

Jones, Jessica...............................................................75

National Labor Relations Board.........................10

Rotary International.........................................68

Troy University.......................... 41, 59, 68, 72, 75

Joseph Monument and Memorial Park..............78

National Nuclear Security Agency........................8

Roundabout Plantation Golf.............................78

Tuscaloosa Children's Theatre...........................86

Josey, Pace....................................................................86

National Recovery Act.......................................82

Roy, Simon...................................................................10

Twitchell Corp..................................................69

Journal of Clinical Ophthalmology...................18

National Register of Historic Places...................78

Russell Lands.....................................................9

Two Maids & a Mop...........................................30

Kaiser Capital Investments LLC.........................68

National Women's Business Council..................86

Ryder Corp.......................................................62

Tyson, Mike...................................................................32

Kappa Alpha Psi Fraternity................................68

Nature Conservancy...........................................8

Sam Houston Industrial Park............................66

U.S. Air Force................................................7, 66

Katie's Garden..................................................68

NBC News..........................................................7

Samford University.................................... 41, 68

U.S. Army.....................................................7, 66

Keel and Co. Distilling......................................78

Newton, Don................................................................10

Samsung Group...............................................52

U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics...........................41

Kervin, Jeff....................................................................44

Noland Hospital Dothan...................................70

SARCOR LLC......................................................86

U.S. Census......................................................72

Kia Georgia......................................................52

North Alabama International Trade Association.........................................81

Schoel Engineering............................................7

U.S. Cyber Camp.................................................8

Schoel, Brooks................................................................7

U.S. Department of Agriculture.........................66

Schoel, Taylor..................................................................7

U.S. Department of Defense..............................36

Schoel, Walter III.............................................................7

U.S. Navy.....................................................7, 66

Scott, Derrick.................................................................14

U.S. Space & Rocket Center..................................8

Scrushy, Richard...........................................................10

U.S. Space Command..........................................7

Securities and Exchange Commission................41

United Community Bank..................................48

Sharp, Johnnie...............................................................7

United Way......................................................68

Shelton State Community College.....................81

University of Alabama ......................9, 41, 62, 75

Shipbuilding Council of America.......................81

University of Alabama at Birmingham........................... 8, 36, 68, 75, 86

Kim, Marcus..................................................................52 King Asphalt Inc...............................................66 Kingdom College.............................................72 Korea Exchange Bank.......................................52 Kotila, Jeffrey................................................................10 Kratos Defense & Security Solutions....................7 Kronospan Holdings PLC....................................7 Lake Eufaula....................................................78 Landmark Park, Dothan....................................78 Latham, Scott................................................................48 Laurel Oaks Behavioral Health Center...............70 Lawson State Community College.....................81 LBA Hospitality................................................66 Leadership Alabama.........................................68 Leadership Dothan...........................................68 Lending Tree Bowl..............................................9 Levie, Rebecca..............................................................86 Lewis Construction Inc......................................75 Liberty University.............................................68 Lightfoot, Franklin & White...............................81 Littleton, Will................................................................86 Lockheed Martin............................................8, 9 Louis, Christian.............................................................52 Luckie & Co. LLC................................................81 Lumina Foundation..........................................72 Madison County Courthouse.............................82 Malone Motor Co..............................................75 Marler, Ray...................................................................68 Martin, Ted....................................................................86 MartinFed........................................................86 Mason Music Foundation....................................8 Max Credit Union.............................................86 Max Insurance Services.....................................86 Mazda Toyota Manufacturing............................52 McLane Co. Inc..................................................69 Meadows, Richard........................................................86 Mercedes-Benz U.S. International......................52 Miami University.............................................52 Michaels, Kevin............................................................14 Michelin North America Inc...............................69 Miller Covered Bridge......................................87 Miller, Ryn....................................................................86 Minority Corporate Counsel Association............81 Miracle League Baseball...................................78 Mitchell, Dean..............................................................68 Mobile Aeroplex at Brookley...............................9 Mobile Alabama Bowl........................................9 Mobile County Health Department....................14 Mobile Symphony............................................10 Modern Health Family Care...............................75 Money, Jimmy..................................................59, 68, 75 Montgomery, City of.........................................10 Morehouse College..........................................68 Morgan, Damon...........................................................32 Morris, Robert...............................................................18 Motion Industries............................................86

Northrop Grumman Corp....................................9 Novelis Inc.........................................................7 Nowell, Lindsey............................................................36 O'Brien, J. Michael.........................................................7 Obermaier, Hans............................................................7 Odom, Bryan................................................................36 Odom, Grace Cross.......................................................36 Opp Utilities Board...........................................32 Oxford, City of....................................................7 Page & Jones....................................................86 Painted Lady Hotel, Birmingham........................9 Parker, Matt............................................................59, 75 Parsons, David..............................................................68 ParsonsGroup LLC.............................................68 Pea River Electric Cooperative, Ozark.................32 Peak Renewables....................................... 59, 66 Peanuts Around Town.......................................78 Pennington, Jonathan..................................................86 Pickens Construction Inc...................................66 Pink Zebra Moving...........................................30 Pioneer Electric Cooperative, Greenville............32 Platt, Mark....................................................................86 PowerSouth Energy Cooperative.......................32 Premier Tech....................................................10 Pritchett-Moore Insurance................................66 Public Relations Council of Alabama.................68 PZI International Consulting.............................81 Raines, Mark.................................................................36 Ramage, John..............................................................44 Rane, Jimmy.................................................................78 Ratchford, Derek...........................................................68 Ravenwood Sporting Clays...............................78 RCX Sports.......................................................68 Red Star Yeast...................................................69 Redstone Arsenal...............................................7 Redstone Gateway..............................................9 Reed, Steven.................................................................10

Shipt Inc............................................................8 Shoupe, Brandon.............................................59, 66, 68 Shute Pecan Co.................................................78 Sierra Pacific Windows......................................11 Silver Wings Golf Club......................................78 Simmons, Robert..........................................................78 Simply 10........................................................66 SmartBank................................................. 66, 68 SmartLam North America...................... 59, 66, 68 Smith, Gary...................................................................32 South Alabama Electric Cooperative, Troy..........32 South University..............................................75 Southeast Alabama Community Theater............78 Southeast Alabama Rural Health Association.....68 Southeast Alabama Works................................72 Southeast Gas..................................................68 Southeast Health.................................. 66, 68, 70 Southern Company..........................................62 Southern Cross Ranch.......................................78 Southern Home Builders..................................68 Southern Nuclear Operations Co.................. 59, 69 Southern Pine Electric Cooperative, Brewton.....32 Southwestern Athletic Conference.....................81 Southwire Inc...................................................12 Space Camp........................................................8 SpectraCare Health Systems Inc................... 70, 75 Spring Hill College..................................... 81, 86 ST Engineering Aerospace...................................9

Reed, Walter.................................................................14

St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Memphis......................................44

Reese, Izell..............................................................68, 72

Starbucks Corp.................................................30

Regions Bank....................................... 52, 66, 86

Statewide Health Coordinating Council.............86

Regions Financial Corp.......................................7

Statista Inc................................................. 66, 70

Reina, Giuseppe...........................................................78

Statue of Liberty Replica, Abbeville...................78

Renaissance Montgomery Hotel........................48

Stinson, Rich.................................................................12

RepVue Inc.......................................................81

Sullivan, Drew..............................................................86

Retina Specialists of Alabama...........................18

Summerford Pallet Co.......................................66

Retirement Systems of Alabama.........................8

Sunrise Dermatology........................................86

Richard, Danny.............................................................86

Superior Air Parts...............................................9

Richey, Van.....................................................................7

Sweet Briar College..........................................68

Rikard, Jim...................................................................36

Takach, Tom..................................................................11

Rip Hewes Athletic Complex, Dothan........... 66, 78

Talladega College.............................................68

RKW Residential...............................................10

Tallapoosa River Electric Cooperative, Tallapoosa.32

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail.............................78

Taylor, City of...................................................75

Robertson, Katrina........................................................86

Tennessee Valley Authority.................................8

Rodgers, Karla..............................................................86

Thurgood Marshall College Fund......................81

Roed, Sean....................................................................86

Todd Syrup Farm........................................ 66, 78

University of Georgia........................................68 University of Idaho...........................................68 University of Illinois.........................................52 University of Memphis.....................................68 University of North Alabama.............................41 University of Sao Paulo, Brazil...........................52 University of South Alabama....................... 68, 86 University of South Carolina.............................52 University of Texas...........................................68 Uptown, The, Dothan........................................78 USA Health.......................................................86 Vets Recover....................................................86 Visit Dothan.....................................................59 VT Mobile Aerospace Engineering.......................9 Vulcan Materials Co............................................7 Walker, Jeffery..............................................................86 Wallace Community College............59, 66, 68, 72 Water World, Dothan........................................78 Watts Hampton Cove........................................10 Wayne Farms LLC........................................ 66, 69 Wayne-Sanderson Farms..................................62 WBHG 90.3 FM.................................................81 West Florida Electric Cooperative, Graceville, Florida........................................32 Westgate Industrial Park............................ 59, 66 Westgate Park, Dothan.....................................78 Whaley Pecan Co..............................................44 Whaley, Bob.................................................................44 Where Relationships Matter Group...................66 White, Brandy...............................................................68 Whitstine, Tyler.............................................................86 Williams, Jeff................................................................68 Wills Eye Hospital, Philadelphia.......................68 Wiregrass Arts and Innovation Center...............59 Wiregrass Electric Cooperative, Hartford............32 Wiregrass Foundation......................................68 Wiregrass Humane Society...............................68 Wiregrass Museum of Art........................... 68, 78 Wiregrass Pet Rescue and Adoption Center........68 Wiregrass Rehabilitation Center.......................72 Wiregrass United Way......................................68 Women's Business Enterprise Council...............62 Woodlawn Theatre.............................................8 Wooster, Louise C...........................................................9 World's Smallest City Block, Dothan..................78 Yonsei University, South Korea..........................52 Young, Chris.................................................................86

July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 85

Career Notes

by ERICA JOINER WEST

JUSTIN ELLIOTT

RANDY BREAUX

FRED BEHNKE

DREW SULLIVAN

PACE JOSEY

WILL LITTLETON

LANI HUDGINS

JONATHAN PENNINGTON

MARK PLATT

RICHARD MEADOWS

TED MARTIN

BRIAN COURTNEY

JEFFERY WALKER

LUIS GONZALEZ

SEAN ROED

HYDE CARBY

CHRIS YOUNG

TYLER WHETSTINE

LOGISTICS

DANNY RICKERT

JASON CUNNINGHAM

KARLA RODGERS

SHARON ENGLE

REBECCA LEVIE

MIGUEL DAVIS

Barbara Frennea has been promoted to vice president, regulator & compliance of Page & Jones. She is based in the logistics company’s Mobile office.

MARITIME AEROSPACE

CYBERSECURITY/IT

ARTS

EDUCATION

Beyond Gravity has appointed Justin Elliott as vice president of the Alabama Launchers Business Unit. Tuscaloosa Children’s Theatre has appointed Ryn Miller as interim executive director.

AUTOMOTIVE

Randy Breaux, president of Motion Industries, has been promoted to Genuine Parts Co. North America president.

BANKING & FINANCE

Regions Bank has named Fred Behnke head of the bank’s homebuilder finance team. He succeeds Danny Hill, who has retired. Max Credit Union has added Drew Sullivan as vice president of payments. Pace Josey has been promoted to vice president of marketing and growth. In addition, Max Insurance Services has added agents Will Littleton and Lani Hudgins. FirstBank has named Jonathan Pennington chief accounting officer. Pennington is a Birmingham native and graduate of Birmingham-Southern College. Mark Platt and Richard Meadows have both been reelected to Alabama Ag Credit’s board of directors. 86 | BusinessAlabama.com July 2023

Ted Martin has joined MartinFed as executive vice president of federal solutions. Brian Courtney has been appointed vice president for business and finance and chief financial officer of Spring Hill College. Jeffery Walker, a professor in the College of Arts and Sciences at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, has been named the first holder of the J. Frank Barefield Jr. Endowed Chair in Communities and Crime. Luis Gonzalez, senior advisor to the president, CEO and managing partner of the Arizona Diamondbacks, has been appointed to the University of South Alabama board of trustees, effective October 1, 2023. He is a graduate of the university. Columbia Southern University, in Orange Beach, has chosen Sean Roed as 2023 Outstanding EMS Professional of the Year.

LEGAL

Balch & Bingham has added Hyde Carby as a partner in its estate planning & trust practice.

Austal USA has promoted Chris Young to vice president of production operations.

MEDICAL

Sunrise Dermatology, of Mobile and Daphne, has added Katrina Robertson, a certified physician assistant, to its clinical team. USA Health has appointed Tyler Whetstine as chief information officer of its 5,000-employee system. In addition, Danny Rickert, chief policy officer and assistant vice president for medical affairs, has been reappointed to the Statewide Health Coordinating Council by Gov. Kay Ivey for a second three-year term. Cullman Regional Medical Center has named Jason Cunningham its new chief operating officer.

ORGANIZATIONS

Selena Rodgers Dickerson, president of SARCOR, has been appointed chair of the Women in STEM subcommittee for the National Women’s Business Council. Vets Recover, a nonprofit organization aimed at delivering quality health care to service members, veterans and first responders, has added Karla Rodgers as human resource manager, Sharon Engle as assistant director of detox and inpatient, Rebecca Levie as clinical case manager and Miguel Davis as grant project director.

Historic Alabama

The Bridges of Tallapoosa County

This month marks the 60th anniversary of the collapse of the Miller Covered Bridge, then the longest covered bridge in the U.S. The Tallapoosa County bridge was in Horseshoe Bend, site of the battle fought by Andrew Jackson to end the Creek Indian War. Pictured here is construction of a new concrete bridge, built adjacent to the collapsed bridge, circa 1957. The area is now part of Horseshoe Bend National Military Park. 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. Beginning July 20, work the quiz online and check your answers at businessalabama.com.

July 2023:

July 2022: (one year ago)

July 2013: (10 years ago)

Q: Troy Bank and Trust has an unusual provision in its charter that prevents a common banking strategy. What is it? A) Cannot offer safe deposit boxes B) Cannot open a second branch C) Cannot operate on Wednesdays or Saturdays D) Cannot sell out to another bank

Q: An Alabama city took over the top spot on the U.S. News & World Report list of Best Places to Live, knocking Boulder, Colorado, down a notch. What city? A) Birmingham B) Florence C) Huntsville D) Mobile

Q: In a feature about great money-making ideas with Alabama roots, Business Alabama reflected on Malcolm McLean, who bought the old Waterman Shipping Co. in 1956. He put his idea into practice first elsewhere, but it has since revolutionized shipping even here. What was it? A) Coal conveyors B) Containerized cargo C) Flash-freezing facilities D) Roll On-Roll Off train facilities

June 2023: (one month ago) Q: Cullman construction contractor Kevin Thomas created a safe room system that can be rigged up in seconds in a school classroom. What purpose do the walls serve on a day-to-day basis? A) Easels B) Whiteboards C) Rugs D) Worktables

July 2018: (five years ago) Q: Abbeville, Alabama, was in a steep decline in the 1990s, when its major employer closed up shop. Since then, it’s been rescued by home-grown Great Southern Wood Preserving, but what was the key employer who left town earlier? A) ABC Transportation B) Coal & Coke Unlimited C) West Point-Pepperell D) Wind & Water Power Co.

July 1998: (25 years ago) Q: Our July issue featured Betty Gist, who was CEO of the largest Alabama company led by a woman. What company? A) Bank of Montgomery B) Coastal Natural Gas C) Dairy Fresh D) Forever Flowers

Answers from June: C, C, B, A, A, D July 2023 BusinessAlabama.com | 87