Initiatives magazine, February 2008 by Huntsville/Madison County Chamber

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initiatives Chamber of Commerce of Hunt sville/ M adison County

february 2008

Courtesy of HudsonAlpha

Huntsville/Madison County, Alabama is located in the middle of the southeastern United States, with more than four million people within a 100-mile radius. The Huntsville community is the primary economic hub of the northern Alabama/southern Tennessee region. Huntsville/Madison County’s economy is one of the strongest in the South, with low unemployment, strong job growth and income levels leading the region. Business growth and investment from U.S. and international companies have made it one of the country’s top “hot spots” for growing a business and raising a family.

contact

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

Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville /Madison County 225 Church Street Huntsville, AL 35801 256.535.2000

Workforce Recruitment Economic Lifeblood to the Community Pages 24-27

f eatures Chamber Strategic Plan

Tetra Tech: Gaining Ground

4SITE in Business

Woodland Homes

Huntsville: ‘Go To’ Place for Space

Are You a Small Business?

d e v e l o p me n t s Chamber Board Listing

mission

cover story

Community Profile

Chamber Staff Listing

HREGI Investors

Emissary, Ambassador Honored

Employee of the Quarter

Holiday Open House

Growing Through Networking

Economic Development Highlights

Executive Committee & Board

ed i t o r i a l s t a f f Publisher

Brian Hilson

Executive Editor

John Southerland

Editorial Designer

Kristi Sherrard

Contributing Writers

John Southerland, Jenni Jeffers, Loren Traylor, Mike Ward, Heather Phillips, Mark Brown, Alinka Carrington

Photography

Chamber of Commerce staff & publications

Advertising Sales

Becky Fentress

on the web www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com

www.asmartplace.com The Huntsville Times

Initiatives February 2008

Chamber of Commerce

Board of Directors and Executive Committee 2008 Executive Committee

Dear Chamber of Commerce Investors, Community Leaders and Friends: Ted Levine, a long-time friend and the founder of Development Counsellors International, a New York firm which specializes in media relations for economic development organizations, offered me some sound advice over 20 years ago. Regarding the performance of economic development organizations, he said, “Good communities create great plans; great communities create results.” An economic development organization like the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County has an enormous responsibility to the community we serve, including the creation of new jobs and investment. The projects we work on benefit the local economy, however, much of what we do would not be possible without a sound strategic plan. In addition to our marketing activities, the Chamber is responsible for developing and maintaining a strategic plan for local economic growth. We call it the Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative, and it does, in fact, serve as the community’s “blueprint” for strategic growth. Without such a plan, an organization like the Chamber would be without the focus and sense of direction required to be efficient. The HREGI strategic plan is updated annually, and Irma Tuder, the Chamber’s chair-elect and CEO of Analytical Services, Inc., chaired the Chamber’s Strategic Planning Committee which recently updated the plan to ensure that it is in tune with the current economic opportunities and challenges. Among the many key elements of the plan is a renewed focus on industry sectors which are targeted for recruitment. That portion of the plan is the result of a detailed analysis of the community’s strengths and weaknesses, which was conducted by WDG, a New Jersey firm which is one of the world’s leading authorities in business location consulting. Realizing that plans are necessary, our Chamber still recognizes that results are most important. In Huntsville/Madison County, the growth and emergence of employers, technologies, and the regional workforce continue to move our economy forward in an extremely exciting fashion. This edition of Initiatives describes some of those exciting developments, including Huntsville’s new role in America’s space program, profiles on companies like Tetra Tech, 4Site and Woodland Homes, along with feature articles on the Chamber’s Small Business program and our recently recognized Emissary and Ambassador of the year. None of the Chamber’s work would be possible without an outstanding group of leaders, including our boards and committees. The 2008 Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Executive Committee and Elected Board of Directors, under the leadership of 2007-2008 chair Evans Quinlivan of First American Bank, are listed on page 8 and pictured on pages 44 and 45. Please accept our invitation to call on the Chamber of Commerce whenever we can be of assistance, or better yet, we invite you to stop by and see our recently expanded and remodeled facilities. Best wishes for a successful 2008!

Brian Hilson President & CEO Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County

February 2008 Initiatives

Evans Quinlivan, Chair, First American Bank Irma Tuder, Chair-Elect, Analytical Services, Inc. Dave Hargrove, Immediate Past Chair, AT&T Tommy Beason, Chamber Foundation Chair, retired Jan Smith, Secretary/Treasurer, System Studies and Simulation Don Nalley, Vice Chair - Economic Development, Beason & Nalley, Inc. Linda Maynor, Vice Chair - Governmental Affairs, Maynard, Cooper & Gale

Charlie Kettle, Vice Chair - Investor Relations, First Commercial Bank

Jim Bolte, Vice Chair - Workforce, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Ala. Elizabeth Morard, Vice Chair - Small Business, Qualis Corp. Ron Poteat, Vice Chair - Research & Information Services, Regions Bank

Ralph Malone, Vice Chair - Image Develop., Triana Industries Joey Ceci, Chair-Appointed, Main Street Strategies Chairman Mike Gillespie, Chair-Appointed, Madison County Commission

Joe Ritch, Chair-Appointed, Sirote & Permutt, P.C. Mayor Loretta Spencer, Chair-Appointed, City of Huntsville Brian Hilson, President/CEO, Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County

Elected Board

Joe Alexander, Camber Corporation Clayton Bass, Huntsville Museum of Art Frank Caprio, Bradley Arant Rose & White, LLP John Cooper, Avocent Corporation Derrick T. Copeland, Applied Data Trends, Inc. Gina DeSimone, The Boeing Company John Eagan, Wachovia Bank, N.A. Joe Fadool, Siemens VDO / Continental AG Kerry Fehrenbach, Intergraph Ron Gray, Gray Research, Inc. Dr. Greg Gum, Radiology of Huntsville, P.C. Jeff Hamilton, The Orthopaedic Center Tom Hancock, Booz Allen Hamilton Tharon Honeycutt, MSB Analytics, Inc. Dr. Pam Hudson, Crestwood Medical Center Dr. Eric Janssen, SportsMed Orthopaedic Surgery & Spine Center Dr. Robert Jennings, Alabama A&M University Frederick Lanier, J. Smith Lanier & Co. Frank Libutti, Digital Fusion John McMullan, Colonial Bank Dan Montgomery, Northrop Grumman Caroline Myers, Foreign Language Services, Inc. Jerre Penney, Bill Penney Toyota Pete Schofield, SPARTA, Inc. Crystal Shell, WILL Technology Scott Seeley, Bryant Bank Keith Smith, SAIC David Spillers, Huntsville Hospital Tom Stanton, ADTRAN Sandra Steele, Enfinger Steele Development, Inc. Paula Steigerwald, Huntsville Botanical Garden Al Sullivan, ABT, Inc. Dr. Dave Williams, UA Huntsville John Wilmer, Wilmer & Lee, P.A. Daniel Wilson, Maynard, Cooper & Gale, P.C. Danny Windham, Digium, Inc. Dr. Ernie Wu, ERC, Incorporated

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At First Commercial Bank, we congratulate all of the past Chamber of Commerce Small Business of the Year Award winners. We’re proud of their accomplishments and pledge our continued support.

c o m m u n i t y p ro f i l e

TOP 10 EMPLOYERS

Madison County

City of Huntsville

City of Madison

Huntsville Metro Area

U.S. Army/Redstone Arsenal . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .14,601

Population 2000 Census

276,700

158,216

29,329

342,376

Huntsville City Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3,000

2006 Estimate

304,307

168,123

36,824

376,753

The Boeing Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .3,000

Huntsville Hospital System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .5,126

NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,555 Households 2000 Census

CINRAM, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,500

109,955

66,742

11,143

134,643

Avg. Household Income

$57,220

$55,856

$72,432

$55,343

City of Huntsville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,199

Per Capita Income

$23,091

$24,015

$27,821

$22,073

Madison County Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,150

Sanmina-SCI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,500 Intergraph Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .2,450

Income

Source: U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov)

Source: Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County

Aerospace & Defense Huntsville/Madison County is home to the U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center which combine to drive a thriving aerospace and defense technology industry. Over 14,500 direct DoD and 2,500 NASA employees manage some of the country’s most important and sophisticated technology programs including missiles, aviation and space exploration. More than 250 companies employing an additional 27,000 workers support the local aerospace and defense industries.

Research & Technology

For more information visit:

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Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park has earned a reputation as a global leader in technology development. The second-largest science and technology park in the U.S., Cummings Research Park is home to more than 285 companies and 25,000 people involved in technology research and development.

February 2008 Initiatives

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February 2008 Initiatives

Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County

Staff 2008 Brian Hilson, president & CEO John Southerland, communications director Laura Kendrick, executive assistant Kristi Sherrard, publications/graphic design specialist

Economic Development Ethan Hadley, VP, economic development Steve Finnell, director, industrial development/ existing industry

Rick Davis, director, Cummings Research Park Heather Phillips, economic development specialist

Amy Locke, industrial development/existing industry assistant

Governmental Affairs Mike Ward, VP, governmental affairs Tina Leopold, governmental affairs assistant Doris Riccelli, OEA grant director

Workforce

Investor Relations Loren Traylor, VP, investor relations Jenni Jeffers, director,

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Lucia Cape, VP, workforce Mark Brown, director, workforce recruitment Mitzi Floyd, workforce coordinator

small business/membership services

Terrie Ledbetter, membership sales representative

Donna McCrary, investor relations specialist

Alinka Carrington, events coordinator

Research & Information Services Ken Smith, director, research & information services

Hiroko Sedensky, information services specialist

Judith Short, information services assistant

Finance & Administration Ken Williams, director, finance & administration

Desman Holt, IT manager Ginny Buie, financial assistant Debbie Olivares, accounting specialist Joe Watson, facilities supervisor

Associated Organizations & Staff Leadership Huntsville/Madison County Sarah Savage, executive director Allison Gregg, program/PR manager Sasha Sealy, alumni/development director Mary Stewart, program coordinator Allison Bowman, administrative coordinator

Small Business Development Centers University of Alabama in Huntsville

Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County 225 Church Street, Huntsville, Alabama 35801 / p 256-535-2000 www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com

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Alabama A&M University

Initiatives February 2008

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Development Partner ($250,000+ invested annually: public sector)

Chamber Trustees

Avocent Corporation Beason & Nalley, Inc. Bill Penney Toyota Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Ala. Booz Allen Hamilton Camber Corporation CINRAM, Inc. COLSA Corporation Continental AG Huntsville Area Association of Realtors

Progress Partners

Development Council (Up to $125,000 invested annually: public sector)

Huntsville Utilities Madison County Commission Tennessee Valley Authority Huntsville Hospital City of Madison Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority Chairman’s Council ($50,000+ invested: private sector)

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Inc. Regions Bank President’s Circle ($25,000 - $49,999 invested annually)

ADTRAN AT&T The Boeing Company Colonial Bank Compass Bank Crestwood Medical Center The Huntsville Times Redstone Federal Credit Union SAIC Verizon Wireless Wachovia Bank, N.A.

($10,000 - $24,999 invested annually)

($5,000 - $9,999 invested annually)

AEgis Technologies Analytical Services, Inc. Applied Data Trends, Inc. BAE Systems Balch & Bingham, LLP BASF Catalysts LLC Bryant Bank CapitalSouth Bank Coldwell Banker/McLain Real Estate Colonial Properties Consolidated Construction Dynetics Enfinger Steele Development, Inc. ERC, Incorporated First American Bank First Commercial Bank HiWAAY Internet Services International Diesel J. Smith Lanier & Co. Jerry Damson Honda Acura Keystone Foods Corporation

Progress Investors

Huntsville/Madison County Builders Association, Inc. Intergraph Corporation Intuitive Research & Technology Corporation Lamar Outdoor Advertising Northrop Grumman Panalpina, Inc. SPARTA, Inc. SportsMed Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc.

Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne LG Electronics Alabama, Inc. Main Street Strategies NAI Chase Commercial Realty The Orthopaedic Center Parker Hannifin Corporation Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc. Radiology of Huntsville, P.C. Samples Properties Sirote & Permutt, P.C. SOUTHBank Stanley Associates Superior Bank The Surgery Center of Huntsville System Studies and Simulation, Inc. Talent Connections Turner Universal Construction WAFF-TV Wilmer & Lee, P.A. Yellowbook Anonymous

($2,500 - $4,999 invested annually)

3D Research Corporation 4SITE, Incorporated Applied Geo Technologies Averbuch Realty / Averbuch Enterprises Ball Aerospace & Technologies Corp. Bancorp South Baron Services Belzon Bradley Arant Rose & White Century Automotive Chapman Sisson Architects Cintas Corporation Currie Systems DESE Research, Inc. Fountain Parker Harbarger & Associates Fuqua & Partners Gray Research, Inc. The Heritage Club Huntsville Tractor & Equipment, Inc. Jacobs JH Partners Architecture & Interiors

Johnston, Moore, Maples & Thompson Kelly Services Kudzu Productions Lamb Commercial Services, Inc. Madison Research Corporation Madison Square Chrysler/Jeep Mercedes Benz of Huntsville North Alabama Gas District QTEC Qualis Corporation Radiance Technologies, Inc. Science & Engineering Services, Inc. Tintronics Torch Technologies Weichert Realtors – The Executive Group Wesfam Restaurants, Inc. – Burger King Westar Aerospace & Defense Group WHNT-19 Wilson Lumber Woodland Homes of Huntsville Woody Anderson Ford Initiatives February 2008

Chamber Strategic Plan Paving the Way for Economic Diversification, Growth

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lmost since its inception in 1892, the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/ Madison County’s primary mission has been to prepare, develop and promote our community for economic growth. Through the efforts of forward-thinking community leaders and strong partnerships with local, state and federal officials, the community has grown and prospered in all that it has attempted to accomplish. From cotton farms to rocket design, the local economic base diversified and magnified into what residents see today, bringing a wealth of opportunities for tomorrow. Not only did this astronomical success not happen overnight, but it also required the

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February 2008 Initiatives

coordination of an organized roadmap with many different partners. In fact, during the past 15 years, economic development has been a priority for many in our business community – a community that supported local economic development efforts through several five-year economic funding programs such as Advantage and EDGE. In the past, these programs were supported by private companies and public sector entities that looked beyond what the Chamber could do for them directly and instead supported a program that helped the entire region. In 2003, the Chamber recognized that economic development would continue to be the foundation for all of its activities and that it was not a 5, 10 or 15 year scope of work but rather a program that would exist as long as this community focused on economic advancements. From this philosophy, the Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative (HREGI) strategic plan was born. “Huntsville/Madison County has many assets that make it so competitive, including great sites, a strong workforce and a welleducated and productive population,” said Bill Fredrick, managing director of WDG, one of the world’s leading economic development consulting firms. Major advantages that make the area unique, he said, include its “organized, energetic, can-do political, business and chamber leadership and a consensus-built strategic plan.” Thus, five original HREGI goals have expanded to seven. “Our focus is on creating and sustaining programs that prepare our community to effectively compete in the global economy and support strong economic expansion,” said Evans Quinlivan, chair of the Chamber. This includes working with local businesses to address their needs; recruiting targeted industry; protecting and growing the aerospace and defense industry; developing capacity for new and sustained economic growth; developing and recruiting a skilled workforce; enhancing our community’s image; and

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Banking on HREGI: Scott Seeley of Bryant Bank presents a check to Chamber President/CEO Brian Hilson as the bank invests in the Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative (HREGI).

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remaining accountable to our stakeholders. Consequently, during the four years that HREGI has been in existence, Huntsville and Madison County announced more than 15,000 new and expanding jobs with a total capital investment of almost $1 billion. These achievements far exceeded the HREGI goals of 12,500 new and expanding jobs and $750 million in capital investments for a five year period. In addition, these results far outpaced the state and U.S. averages in every growth category and since 2000, the Huntsville metro area more than tripled the growth rate of the state in employment and led other peer communities such as Austin, Charlotte, Raleigh and Durham in professional, technical and retail employment. As a result of the active engagement and support of the entire community, both large and small companies continue to make a difference. In recognition of their special investment in economic development, special update meetings and investor-only events are held throughout the year for HREGI investors. The investor list grows larger each month as more companies see the importance of what HREGI is doing for this area. “QTEC wants to do our part to help our community continue to grow as a Center for Technical Excellence in the United States and we saw our investment as a way to do this,” said Kathy Broad, CFO QTEC and newest HREGI investor. The investments are paying off in other areas as well. The Huntsville/Madison County community has received national recognition from publications such as Forbes and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. In fact, Huntsville was recently listed by Computerworld as one of the top-five technology cities and was similarly named one of the country’s “Top Adventure Towns” by National Geographic Adventure. These accolades make it easier for Huntsville and Madison County to sell itself to businesses looking to relocate to our community and to recruit a skilled workforce to fill the jobs that are currently available. But, the best is yet to come. With more than 170 private and public sector investors and almost $1.7 million per year committed to economic development through HREGI, the Chamber continues to plan for future growth, with an emphasis placed on meeting infrastructure, workforce and education needs of a growing, vibrant community. “Working together, the partners and investors of HREGI ensure that we remain ahead of our competition and that we continue to prepare, develop and promote our community for economic prosperity,” said Charlie Kettle, Chamber vice chair of investor relations. • Loren Traylor

Initiatives February 2008

Gaining Ground Tetra Tech EMC Expands Huntsville Presence

EMC President Pat Haun thanks employees and attendees at the recent ribbon cutting and grand opening ceremony at its new Huntsville office. Mary Leo, CRP, CRB, CRS Associate Broker Corporate Relocation Professional

Mary Leo

00402861

(256)759-7200

jobs in the community. To better understand and prepare for the impact of their growth in the community, EMC asked the Chamber to prepare an economic impact analysis in 2006 based on a formula used by the Bureau of Economic Analysis that illustrated the communitywide impact of 100 new jobs created by EMC. Company officials have indicated that they expect to far exceed that estimate of 100 new jobs within the next two years. Which means, based on that analysis, at least a $7.4 million direct impact on the community. Ken Smith, the Chamber’s director for research and information services, said that the analyses helps companies not only measure the internal impact of creating new jobs – but the community impact as well. “Communities use various forms of economic impact analysis to estimate the effect of a project or investment on the economy,” he said. “Multipliers supplied by BEA are often used as a simple and straightforward measure to show the greater impact of a new investment or the creation of jobs and can be the first step toward a more detailed impact study in the future.” The growth EMC is experiencing in Huntsville is related to BRAC and by understanding the company’s core competencies it is obvious that they are in a target area for

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February 2008 Initiatives

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t is no secret that the Huntsville/Madison County community will experience staggering job growth as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Activity that will bring 4,700 direct, high-paying federal jobs to Huntsville. But that number tells only part of the story – the conservative thinking is that the contractor workforce needed to support the programs associated with the moving commands will be an additional 5,000 jobs. And that may be a low estimate. While conservative estimates are that 5,000 additional jobs will accompany the 4,700 BRAC jobs – the reality is that that number could be much higher as contractors and other companies continue to see Huntsville and Madison County as a smart place to live, work and play. Case in point: Engineering Management Concepts Inc., a Tetra Tech company, recently celebrated the opening of a new Huntsville office and announced the expansion of its workforce in the community. The company, which currently provides technical and outsourced services to the federal government and commercial clients, has grown significantly over the past 18 months and is on a path to continue that growth as the BRAC moves continue. In June of 2006, EMC had less than 20 people located in Huntsville. Less than 18 months later, the company is well on its way to its initial goal of creating 100 new

Leaps and Bounds: Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer joined the company as it celebrated its continued growth in Huntsville. The company has experienced dramatic growth in Huntsville over the past 18 months.

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growth. Specializing in areas from systems engineering, information technology and civil and environmental engineering to facility operations and management, the company is a major subcontractor to the Missile Defense Agency, which is in the process of moving 2,248 positions to Redstone Arsenal. EMC recently held a ribbon cutting event to celebrate the opening of its new Huntsville office and to announce the expansion of its workforce in the community. EMC President Pat Haun said his company would continue its job growth in Huntsville as MDA continues to move personnel to Huntsville. “Huntsville is a very vital part of the overall growth strategy for EMC,” Haun said. “We had anticipated adding about 100 new jobs within a 12-month period. We have filled 77 of those with eight more pending; all but three of our people have been local hires.” Ron Poteat, the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County’s 2007 vice chair of economic development – served as the master of ceremonies for the event and welcomed the company to the area. “We are pleased that they have recognized Huntsville as a great community to expand their business,” Poteat said. “As MDA continues its move to Huntsville, Tetra Tech EMC will continue moving its employees here as well. We believe each worker that comes in will find a welcoming, open community that is rife with opportunities. Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer said she was thrilled to see the company growing. “It is an honor to be in front of you today and celebrating another company that is doing well in our city,” Spencer said. “We are so pleased that you have chosen Huntsville as a place to grow your business – and we will be here to help you as you continue that growth.” • John Southerland

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Initiatives February 2008

T 4SITE in Business Ready to Grow with New Office

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Helping Celebrate a New Office for an Innovative Company: (left) Chamber Chair Evans Quinlivan served as master of ceremonies for a recent ribbon cutting event to honor 4Site Inc. with the company’s new office location at Main Street South Shopping Center in Huntsville. Below, Huntsville City Council President Glenn Watson also praised the company and its continued prosperity.

February 2008 Initiatives

he company that specializes in creating cutting edge, environmentally friendly commercial and community development recently celebrated its growth and expansion into its new office at Main Street South Shopping Center. 4Site specializes in smart growth with an interdisciplinary approach to land planning and design, engineering, surveying and landscape architecture. While the company works on a variety of projects – including streetscapes, community plans, mixed-use developments or neighborhood revitalization efforts – the focus is on creating a unique sense of place with an appropriate setting. Evans Quinlivan, chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, congratulated the company on its leadership and vision. “We are honored to be with a company that not only advocates economic growth and development, but helps communities, companies and organizations plan for growth in an environmentally responsible way,” Quinlivan said. “You all are truly envisioning tomorrow’s legacy today.” Quinlivan presented company founders and partners Jerry Cargile, Drew Wharton and Richard Campbell with a special plaque to commemorate the ribbon cutting ceremony. Huntsville City Council President Glenn Watson also spoke at the ceremony on behalf of the city and issued the company best wishes for continued growth and prosperity. “We at 4SITE are looking forward to the future. There is no other community that generates the excitement and energy for economic growth that we have here in Huntsville, Alabama,” Wharton said. • John Southerland

Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County (HREGI) For a list of investors, see page 15 or visit: www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

At 4SITE, we know our support of HREGI promotes the image,

â&#x20AC;&#x153;

policies and economic growth that make our community vibrant and competitive today and in the years to come.

L-R: Richard Campbell, Jerry Cargile & Drew Wharton 4SITE, Incorporated

HREGI Investor since 2007

Initiatives February 2008

Chamber Emissary and Ambassador of the Year Honored

ith more than 2,300 members and only 28 staff, reaching and communicating to our members can often be a challenging task. For this reason, the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County developed a win-win solution through the creation of its ambassador and emissary councils. These organizations were introduced in 2002 with a goal of developing a tool to ensure that our members can more readily receive the information they need to be able to better understand and utilize the resources the Chamber has available. The elite ambassador and emissary councils are comprised of a group of specially selected and trained individuals from our chamber member businesses. Their mission is to act as a liaison for the Chamber, while exposing their businesses to a larger audience by creating a relationship with other Chamber businesses, Chamber staff, dignitaries, and board members. From a start of 20 dedicated volunteers, the program grew to include more than 125. They allow the Chamber to engage more businesses in efforts that make the area a smart place to live, work and play.

Chamber ambassadors and emissaries represent and promote the Chamber during special events, meetings and exclusive memberonly functions. Each year, outstanding volunteers within these councils are selected for special recognition and this year is no exception. At a luncheon held Tuesday, Dec. 18, 2007, Sofia Bledsoe was named the 2007 Ambassador of the Year and Carrie McCrillis was named 2007 Emissary of the Year. Bledsoe is employed by Bevilacqua Research Corporation and has been an ambassador for one year. She is very active in welcoming new companies to our community by attending ribbon cuttings and ground breakings. She also participated in the 2007 Total Resource Campaign and as a first year volunteer was one of the star performers. “Sofia brings a sense of professionalism and dedication to everything she does and she has established an outstanding rapport with other volunteers,” said Dawn Mueller, 2006 Ambassador of the Year and 2007 ambassador council co-chair. McCrillis, district manager for Kelly Services, brings boundless energy to everything she does. She was awarded the 2007

Professional

Two New Programs Available This Spring!

Emissary of the Year because of her relentless pursuit of perfection and her ability to provide outstanding customer service to the companies she represents as an emissary. She clearly communicates ways to improve Chamber services and programs and doesn’t hesitate to take an active role in implementing change. McCrillis has volunteered for more than five years with the Chamber and every year her business has grown because of those efforts. “Carrie has a passion for the Chamber and the community and her companies know she is there to help them achieve and succeed,” said Marianne Windham, 2006 Emissary of the Year. “Those that are closest to her recently described her at a forum as a “bulldozer with a smile”. This simply means that when given a task, she goes full-force with endless amounts of enthusiasm, direction and with the intent to give 200 percent,” she added. It is the volunteers that make an organization such as the Chamber successful, according to Chamber President/CEO Brian Hilson, adding “Chamber volunteers are the best of the best.”

Development

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Learn legal issues in procurement activities, capture management process, proposal effort kick-off, processes to ensure client centered proposal responsiveness, and how to establish your company as a responsible bidder. The following modules will be presented one day each week for #ve consecutive weeks: • Ensuring Proposal Responsiveness • Ethics in Federal Procurement • Meeting the Responsibility Requirement • Capture Management • Kicking Off the Proposal Effort 3/6-4/3 • Th • 8:30am-4:30pm • $1,195 00402607

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February 2008 Initiatives

the university of alabama in huntsville Division

Continuing Education

256.824.6372 1.800.448.4035

An Af#rmative Action/Equal Opportunity Institution

Congratulations! to the Chamber’s 2007 Emissary of the Year:

Carrie McCrillis Kelly Services

to the Chamber’s 2007 Ambassador of the Year:

Sofia Bledsoe Bevilacqua Research Corporation

Chamber Members: Time to Get Your Season Pass

00402602

Season Passes are now available for 2008 that include seven Business After Hours and four Breakfast & Biz events. Call Donna McCrary at 535-2051 for more information.

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www.southbank.com Initiatives February 2008

Workforce Recruitment: If you can Dream it, you can Do it

orkforce recruitment and development continues to be a critical topic of discussion at board tables across the country. And the Huntsville/Madison County community is no different - especially as our region faces continued economic growth in all of our primary industries from aerospace and defense, advanced manufacturing, health care and many others. Potential workforce shortages in many of these industries are a concern for businesses across the U.S and for our region in particular. While many low-skilled and low-paying positions moved overseas during the past several years, there continues to be an increased demand for skilled workers in higher paying positions and the availability of these workers, now and in the future, is essential to the nation’s ability to compete in a global economy. In fact, recent studies show that while 28 percent of the workforce has college degrees, in 10 years only 20 percent of the jobs will require a four-year degree. Conversely, currently 32 percent of the U.S. workforce has a two-year technical degree or training and in 10 years almost 65 percent of jobs will require this type of training. It is significant to note that nationally every dollar in sales of manufactured product directly supports $1.37 in other sectors of the economy and employs more than 14.3 million workers in the U.S. and another six million in related industries such as wholesaling and finance. In Alabama, almost 300,000 jobs and 18 percent of total Gross State Product are derived from this sector. Locally, the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County is partnering with a variety of organizations to meet the workforce challenge. One organization taking a direct, hands-on approach is the National Association of Manufacturers (NAM), whose leadership understands that closing this national skills gap must start 24

February 2008 Initiatives

with improving education in primary, secondary and post-secondary schools. NAM represents more than 22,000 manufacturing companies in the northern hemisphere. Manufacturers recently reported that despite layoffs during the last recession, they were still having trouble attracting employees with the right mix of skills in certain job functions to meet the demands of modern advanced manufacturing. To learn more, they conducted extensive quantitative and qualitative research across the U.S. and found that an estimated 80 percent of manufacturers reported a "moderate to serious" shortage of qualified job applicants during the recession period – a problem only growing increasingly urgent with the increase in global competition and retirement of Baby Boomers. The research also found that manufacturing has an outdated image filled with stereotypes of assembly line jobs that has kept young people from pursuing careers in this sector. “We know that these perceptions are seriously out of step with manufacturing's broad range of opportunities,” said Ronnie Boles, NAM and Huntsville Utilities board member and president of General & Automotive

Machine Shop. “The manufacturing sector offers interesting and financially rewarding careers-like an electrical engineer for a private jet manufacturer, product developer for a candy manufacturing plant, or a designer at an MP3 manufacturing company.” In order to combat that image and after receiving a $1 million grant from the Department of Labor, the “Dream It Do It” campaign was created by NAM. The campaign was designed to change the image of manufacturing in the minds of young people ages 16-26, and their teachers, parents and counselors. This age was selected because it is typically the time a person is likely to be making career path decisions. Because 40 percent of high school students are not qualified to go to college or even enter the workforce, a viable, eyecatching, thought-provoking multi-media campaign needed to be developed. By using the web, posters, video and print media, NAM left no opportunity unturned in their quest to reach their target audience and implemented this program initially as a pilot in Kansas City, Mo. After two years of piloting the program, the results were astounding: a 35 percent increase in the number of students entering manufacturing training programs. Based on these results and the response to the campaign, NAM grew “Dream It Do It” into another nine regions across the country continued on page 26

On the Drawing Board: Ronnie Boles, standing, a board member for the National Association of Manufacturers, discusses the Dream !t Do !t workforce recruitment campaign with Chamber workforce recruitment director Mark Brown.

Developing a Future Workforce “Junior Achievement of North Alabama in Action”

unior Achievement of North Alabama, working together with the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, is creating a workforce plan that addresses the community’s future workforce needs from kindergarten through career education and workforce development. The partnership with JA began in 2004 and combined the strengths of both organizations. “Our goal is to look at the whole workforce life-cycle, from birth to retirement,” said Chamber workforce vice chair Jim Bolte. Representatives with JA said their hope is that by working closely with local businesses to inspire and prepare young people to succeed in a global economy, the local workforce will be better educated and skilled upon graduation. The Junior Achievement Programs cover grades K-12 and emphasize nine key areas, including: Importance of Education, Workplace Readiness, Career Development/Exploration, Business, Citizenship, Economics, Entrepreneurship, Ethics/Character, and Financial Literacy. These programs are grade level appropriate; the volunteers from the business community present the information to the students in a mentoring fashion that is designed to help them see how the skills they are learning will enable them to have a variety of career options in the future. Since the partnership with the Chamber was formalized in 2004, participation in JANA programs more than quadrupled in our com-

munity. The program that began with about 60 business volunteers and 1,700 students has become a flourishing endeavor that features 800 business volunteers and serves more than 11,000 students – illustrating that good things happen when businesses and organizations dedicated to improving education work together. “The partnership between Junior Achievement and the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County is a win for everyone in our community,” said Tommy Beason, chair of the Chamber Foundation. “Students hear from practicing professionals, teachers learn what clicks with the students and businesses can promote their industry to bright, young minds.” The average student participation on a national level for JA is nine percent while the north Alabama student participation rate is more than double that at 20 percent. “This is great from a JA program perspective, but I would like to see the participation rate in North Alabama grow to 75 percent,” said Cyndy Morgan, president of Junior Achievement of North Alabama.” She added, “The partnership with the Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of Commerce is the first of its kind within the Junior Achievement Organization and has become a pilot partnership program for Junior Achievement worldwide.” But, JA is not resting on their past success, she said. “The goal for 2008 is to reach 15,000 students with our programs, and in continued on page 27

Companies Urged to Join Chamber’s Workforce Recruitment Trips As part of its recruitment efforts to attract workforce to the increasing number of available jobs in the community, the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County will sponsor its second “Huntsville on the Road” tour in Atlanta. The event is open to all Chamber member companies. “It is vitally important to our community’s continued growth to aggressively recruit available workforce from colleges and universities and other communities,” said Chamber workforce recruitment director Mark Brown. “We hope all of our companies will take advantage of this unique opportunity to reach a large contingent of job-seekers with the education and skills to begin working immediately.” The Huntsville on the Road Career Fair will be held Tuesday, Feb. 26, 2008 from 2-7 p.m. at the Atlanta Marriott Suites Midtown at 35 14th Street N.E. The cost to exhibit is $350 (includes one 6-foot table draped and skirted with unlimited company representatives). Exhibitor set up will be from 10 a.m.-noon. All exhibitors are required to secure their own hotel reservations for those attending the event. To make reservations, call the Marriott at 404876-8888.

Huntsville on the Road: More than 20 organizations, including the Huntsville Police Department, joined the Chamber for the first Huntsville on the Road workforce recruiting trip held recently at the University of Alabama in Tuscaloosa.

The Chamber plans to particpate in the following job fairs in the Southeast in February: Feb. 5, 2008 Auburn University Engineering/ Technical Career Expo Auburn Hotel & Dixon Conference Center Auburn University, Ala. www.auburn.edu/academic/provost/undergrad_ studies/career/events/empexpos08.php Feb. 12, 2008 Nashville Area College to Career Fair Tennessee State Fairgrounds, Nashville, Tenn. www.nashvillefairs.org/NACCF1.html Feb. 20, 2008 NACPED (N. Alabama Connection: Professional Employment Day) Von Braun Center, Huntsville, Ala. www.athens.edu/counseling/NACPED/index.html Feb. 26, 2008 Huntsville On The Road Career Fair Sponsored by: The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Atlanta Marriott Suites Midtown, Atlanta, Ga. Cost: $350; www.asmartplace.com

Initiatives February 2008

Paradigm Technologies, Inc. People Values Purpose Leadership

continued from page 24

00402073

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Workforce Recruitment,

to include Northeast Ohio; Nebraska; Puget Sound, Wash; Southwest Virginia; North Central Texas; Will County, Ill; Southeast Indiana; Greater Phoenix and the Commonwealth of Virginia. Next up: the 23 county North Alabama and southern Tennessee region covered by the Department of Labor’s WIRED initiative and also Madison County’s labor shed. “At the heart of the initiative in our region is Ronnie Boles,” said Mark Brown, Chamber workforce recruitment director. “For the past 25 years, he has been involved in our local school systems, technical schools and twoyear colleges, talking about manufacturing and the opportunities available to students.” Boles gives field trip tours through his operation and says that “Most of my employees came from this system. If it works for me, it will work for anyone.” Boles works at the local level to expand into the 23 county region because over 25,000 workers drive up to 70 miles into Huntsville each day for employment. Boles talks to groups around the community about how to get behind the program but knows

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February 2008 Initiatives

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that ultimately it is up to owners and executives to step up. “They have to be willing to put a little skin in the game. They have to put their time into it,” said Boles. Tied into “Dream It Do It” is a component that encourages businesses and educational institutions to work together to develop models and training programs whose final product results in a skilled workforce. Certificates of accomplishment such as the WorkKeys system, the MSSC Certified production Technician certificate and the National Institute of Metalworking skills credentials are being used to determine work and skill readiness by acknowledging accomplishments in math, technology, engineering, problem-solving, analysis, blue print reading and basic learning-how-tolearn skills. Community colleges and technical schools as well as business association and other training providers are getting on board to provide these valuable training programs. Industry is talking and educational institutions are listening. • Loren Traylor

Companies that are members of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/ Madison County that have job openings can post those job openings on our workforce recruitment web site at www.asmartplace.com. Posting the jobs is free to all Chamber members. “This is very important tool for our business community,” said Chamber workforce recruitment director Mark Brown. “We created this site to help our members recruit the talent they need.” The site includes a job search feature representing a variety of companies and provides users a broad look at employment opportunities in the community. Also included on the site is the “Find a Job” option – which includes a list of available jobs and the employers that are hiring as well as links on how to apply for a federal job, openings on Redstone Arsenal, openings in the Missile Defense Agency and other Alabama jobs. For more information about the site, visit www.asmartplace.com or call Mark Brown at the Chamber at 535.2000.

Developing a Future Workforce, continued from page 25

order to accomplish this JA will need approximately 1,200 volunteers from the business community.” In February JA begins its annual Job Shadowing Program for 10th – 12th graders. Students choose a career field that is interesting to them. Then companies that partner with JA host the students on-site showing them the actual jobs and skills that are needed to be successful in the particular career field they have chosen. This year, more than 450 students from 18 area high schools signed up for the job shadowing program and more than 140 of them have and interest in the medical and biotechnology fields, occupations that in the future Huntsville may be looking to fill in large numbers. During this past fall, JA conducted the following programs: • The Adventures in Engineering Program in partnership with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. There were 200 11th grade students from 18 area high schools in attendance. • The 8th grade Job Shadowing Program with 225 students in attendance. The companies involved with this pilot program were, ADTRAN, Marshall Space Flight Center, Huntsville Hospital, WHNT Channel 19, and Turner Universal Construction.

Local Recruiting: NASA interns from across the country recently spent time in Huntsville learning about the local economy and the careers available in Huntsville and Madison County.

Serving all three school systems with the traditional JA programs reaching more than 4,000 students in kindergarten – 12th grade. Plans for spring 2008 include: • JA in a day (one day programming). This program has been requested by 10 elementary schools and one middle school. • JA traditional classroom programming for more than 200 classes. • JA job shadowing. There are about 450 students participating. Dates are Feb. 14, 21 and 28.

If you and your company would like to get involved with these and other JA programs, please contact Cyndy Morgan at (256) 533-4661 or email cmorgan@janaonline.org. • Mark Brown

00378733

• JA middle school job shadow. Second semester pilot scheduled for April, 2008

Initiatives February 2008

Specializing in Commercial Real Estate Sales, Leasing, Management & Development

Woodland Homes “Simply the Best of Everything”

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Graham & Company’s 2nd 208,000 sf distribution warehouse is scheduled to begin construction in January 2008. The new facility will be completed in the spring of 2008.

Over 8,000 sf of office/warehouse space is available at West Jordan Plaza, a multi-tenant mixed-use facility in central Huntsville.

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256.382.9010 28

February 2008 Initiatives

00401822

This new retail development is conveniently located on Highway 72 West at the intersection of Nance Road.

“Stunned” is the word Michael Friday, President of Woodland Homes of Huntsville, Inc. uses to describe his reaction when presented with the 2007 Small Business of the Year Award. Winning the award was greatly celebrated and appreciated by the Woodland Homes team because of the effort and pride they put in the company and community. For four consecutive years, Woodland Homes has been awarded first place in the Huntsville Parade of Homes. “Our number one goal Melissa & Michael Friday is to be the best and continue to provide a quality product in a quality community,” Friday said. After finishing high school, Friday obtained his real estate license and for 15 years worked as a “discontented” new home sales professional. “I decided I could do it better,” he said. At that point Friday made the critical decision that he would strive to be the best in the business – an attitude that became the motto for his company. Friday credits his wife Melissa Friday for helping to establish Woodland Homes. She played an active role in the company by directly overseeing many of its functions from the pre-settlement process to the warranty department. As their company grew, she was able to direct her full attention to their growing family. “In the past 30 years as our children have gotten older my wife has evolved from the CEO for Woodland Homes to the CEO of our home,” Michael said. The foundation and culture the Fridays established when creating Woodland Homes allowed the company to receive both local and national recognition. For five consecutive years, Woodland Homes has been recognized by Builders Magazine and inducted into the

“Fast Track” Hall of Fame as one of the nation’s top 100, fastest-growing home building companies. Despite being involved in more than 10 communities from single-family homes, multi-family town homes to recently adding luxury waterfront homes on Lake Guntersville, Michael Friday and his staff members insist on quality customer service. “I don’t have to worry about a customer being satisfied when I know my staff is giving the best service,” he said. “We instill in our employees and contractors a high level of expectation concerning how we carry out our tasks. I inspire my staff to be simply the best in all parts of their lives personal and professional.” In striving to be the best, Woodland Homes continues to make advancements in innovative designs and the utilization of current technology, offering each homeowner a HomeProfile System, allowing the customer to be directly involved in the process from beginning to end. As the only 2-10 Elite Home builder in north Alabama, the focus of Woodland Homes is actually not on the number of homes built. “I want to be able to build the number of homes that my staff can do whereby it’s fun, enjoyable and they are able to take care of our customers,” Friday said. Woodland Homes continues to grow with plans to progress in home building and other market areas. Wherever there’s a market niche, Friday will be sure to tap into it. When asked about the company’s future goals, Friday’s response is the same goal he had when he started the business: “to continue to be simply the best.” • Alinka Carrington

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Initiatives February 2008

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GS-35F-0378T

Huntsville Remains the ‘Go To’ Place To Get America into Space

ince the first days of the United States space program, Huntsville has been the “go to” place for America’s rockets. Earlier rocket development programs managed here, including the Redstone, Jupiter, Saturn, and Space Shuttle launch systems, helped the city to earn the title “Rocket City, USA.” Even though it’s been nearly 30 years since NASA last developed a rocket capable of taking people into space, Huntsville still has what it takes to design and build the replacement for the space shuttle – dubbed Ares I. NASA Marshall Space Flight Center’s unique facilities and capabilities will play a critical role in the development of the Ares I launch vehicle. The new rocket, slated to go into service in 2013, requires a tremendous development effort that is already well underway. Over 20 percent of Marshall’s civil servant and contractor workforce currently support the development efforts for the Ares I elements. The local economic impact of the program exceeds $170 million annually

with nearly 2,000 local jobs tied to the development effort. Marshall currently has 687 civil servants working on Ares and 721 support contractors. Additionally, there are 321 prime contractor Ares jobs in the area. More jobs will come in the next few years. Marshall Space Flight Center facilities and equipment, some of which have been dormant for nearly a generation, are being pressed back into service. Fantastic new friction-stir welding machines, capable of making precise circumferential joints, have already been installed to support the development effort. While much of the development work will be managed in-house by MSFC personnel – in a fashion reminiscent of the Saturn development program – contractors will also share a large responsibility. In the past year, more than $5 billion in contracts have been awarded by MSFC to businesses to build the Ares rockets. A substantial portion of those contract dollars are projected to go to small and “disadvantaged” businesses. More than $1.1 billion in continued on page 32

Program

Competition

Approximate Value

Awarded to:

First Stage Engine

Sole Source

$1.8 billion

ATK Launch Systems

First Stage Roll & Control Engine Thrusters

Unrestricted

$1.2 million

Aerojet

Upper Stage Instrument Unit

Unrestricted

$829 million

The Boeing Company

Upper Stage J2 Engine

July 2007

$1.2 billion

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne

Upper Stage Production

Unrestricted

$515 million

The Boeing Company

Upper Stage Pre-Valves

Unrestricted

$1.1 million/company

Vacco Industries; Moog, Inc.

Upper Stage Vent & Relief Valves

Unrestricted

$1.1 million/company

Vacco Industries; Moog, Inc.

Courtesy of NASA

Ares I: 2007 Contract Award Projections

Initiatives February 2008

Huntsville Remains the ‘Go To’ Place, continued from page 31

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contracts over the course of the next five years – nearly 20 percent of total budgeted funds – have been “set aside” to go to small businesses, small disadvantaged businesses, womenowned small businesses, HUB zone businesses, veteran-owned small businesses and historically black colleges and Universities. Recently, the Boeing Company won the competition to develop the Instrument Unit that will house the computers, communications and guidance systems. When added to the ‘Upper Stage’ contract that the company previously won, Boeing’s Ares contract value exceeds $750 million and could increase substantially. Boeing officials have indicated they anticipate hiring several hundred technical support personnel in Huntsville and several hundred production support personnel at facilities in New Orleans as well. Additional local prime contractors include Pratt Whitney Rocketdyne, Teledyne Brown Engineering, ATK, USPC and IUAC. Local subcontractors and suppliers are likewise projected to add a significant number of jobs to the area. Funding for the Ares program is scheduled to grow from $1.17 billion in fiscal year 2008, peaking at $1.8 billion in fiscal year 2011. More of Marshall’s resources will be needed starting in 2012 as the new heavy-lift Ares V moves to development. Funding for that program will grow from $44 million in fiscal year 2008 to $1.2 billion in fiscal year 2012. The journey back to the moon is well underway and once again it begins in Huntsville. • Mike Ward

February 2008 Initiatives

Are You a Small Business? See What Your Chamber Can Do For You coalition, it became clear that there was a need for a community-wide mentoring program. As a result, a community-wide mentoring (CWM) program is emerging to assist businesses in their first year through fifth year of operations. “The community-wide mentoring program provides mentors to businesses who can provide advice and support to small businesses as they grow and prosper in our region’s vibrant and evolving business climate,” said Dick Reeves, president and CEO of BizTech. “When we help one business

react to change in a positive manner, we insure that all businesses have a healthy climate to grow. The CWM is an opportunity for Huntsville’s business-fostering organizations to work together to support our small, growing businesses.” Additionally, the group will provide resources that may not be known to inexperienced entrepreneurs. Such examples would be the 504 loan program offered to expanding small businesses needing money to buy, purchase or renovate a building. The continued on page 34

00402616

he Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County works aggressively to serve small business members. Because 80 percent of our members have less than 250 employees, we found it imperative to address the needs of small business members and small businesses throughout the community. To do so effectively, the Chamber’s Small Business Council created a county-wide coalition to bring different small business entities together to create a collaborative effort to assist budding entrepreneurs and existing small businesses. Participating organizations include: BizTech, the Women’s Business Council of North Alabama, the UAHuntsville and Alabama A&M Small Business Development Center offices which all focus on the start up, nascent entrepreneurs which covers businesses in the infancy stage ranging from one to five years. The Chamber centers its assistance more to the established business needing assistance to enhance and market their organization. After the first meeting of the county-wide

Initiatives February 2008

Are You a Small Business?,

Let us help you make a

continued from page 33

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Training Classes The Chamber will be offering a series of small business training classes beginning in February 2008. Classes will include:

loan is offered at a very low interest rate with special benefits and the 7(a) loan program that provides versatile tools for any non-profit and legitimate business purpose including working capital, real estate acquisition and business debt. In addition, the Chamber is working hard to serve its members by offering a series of small business training classes beginning in February 2008. Ron Klein, the Chamber’s 2007 vice chair for small business and the owner and president of Belzon said, “the Chamber’s effort to provide this type of training is an excellent way for members to take advantage of industry leading trainers.” Training costs will be minimal and the seminars will last no longer than four hours. The latest information will be updated and posted on the Chamber web site and distributed via email. For questions about the many small business services and programs available, contact the Chamber’s small business division at 256-535-2000 or visit the web site at www.huntsvillealabamausa.com. • Jenni Jeffers

• Doing Business with the Federal Government • The Facts on the Department of Defense Mentor Protégé Program • Marketing 101 Those interested in presenting a seminar during the series should review the requirements below and have information submitted to jjeffers@hsvchamber.org.

Training Requirements • Must be a Chamber member in good standing; • Training seminars must be applicable to small businesses or be related to employee development; • Speaker will not receive any type of payment for services. The Chamber views this as an opportunity for the speaker to validate his/or her qualifications and knowledge; • Presentations must be substantive; this is not a platform for you to market your business; • A 1-2 page outline submitted on topic; and • Three letters of recommendation are required from past customers.

ever had, every time they clean.

Plan now for the 2008 Business EXPO: The Chamber’s 2007 Business Expo was the its most successful yet. Chamber member companies displayed their products and services to other members and to the public at the event, held at the Von Braun Center. Plans are already being made by Chamber staff members for the 2008 Business Expo. Previous page: Bama Jammer Promotions, a former Small Business of the Year winner, is one of many companies that have benefited from a variety of services and networking opportunities provided to the Chamber’s small business members.

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February 2008 Initiatives

Jenni Jeffers Director, Small Business / Membership Services reative, hard working, and a tremendous asset. That’s what the Chamber team says about Jenni Jeffers. “Jenni has brought a lot of energy and enthusiasm to her work, which has enabled us to grow all of our events and small business services,” said Loren Traylor, vice president, investor relations at the Chamber. “All of our volunteers and employees feel that she’s a joy and a pleasure to work with.” In the nearly three years that Jenni has been with the Chamber, she has increased the small business awards dinner attendance from 800 to more than 1,200, grown the number of small business award competitors from 34 to almost 90, and coordinated two successful business expos. Future endeavors include strengthening a community-wide small business council and increasing the number of services offered by the Chamber to small businesses. Jeffers received her undergraduate degree from Huntingdon College in Montgomery, where she received both leader-

Employee of the Quarter ship and athletic scholarships. Following her work at a personnel agency, Jenni decided she wanted to “lead a life in retail” and began working for Sears. She was later promoted to district manager. She also became engaged to her husband of 10 years, Todd. During this time, Jenni says she learned that if you put your mind and heart into something, you can succeed. Following her career with Sears, Jenni worked as the marketing and conference director for a federal government contractor where she coordinated conferences throughout the U.S. The travel involved with her job and having her first child led Jenni to call the Chamber to inquire about other job opportunities in the community. By coincidence, the Chamber had a job opening for a director of Small Business and Membership Service, and the rest is history. Jenni and Todd have two children: Grady, 3, and Anne Caroline, 1.

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Initiatives February 2008

Celebration Underway: Chamber members were able to network and enjoy live entertainment from the Huntsville City School’s Academy Stars and Clowns at the Chamber’s Holiday Open House celebration. Below: Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer takes to the podium to thank those in attendance. The event also served as a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate the recent additions to the Chamber facilities. Participating in the ribbon cutting, from left, were Chamber Building Committee Chair Frederick Lanier, Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer, Chamber Chair Evans Quinlivan, Chamber Chair-elect Irma Tuder and Chamber President/CEO Brian Hilson.

Building Expansion The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County recently held its annual holiday open house, and added an official grand-reopening celebration to commemorate its recent expansion. “As the Huntsville/Madison County economy continues to grow and diversify, and as our community continues to prosper as the result of our growth, it is appropriate that the Chamber’s ability to promote the community also expand and improve,” said Chamber Chairman Evans Quinlivan. Additions and renovations of the Chamber building included a 2,000square-foot expansion of the auditorium on the first floor, effectively doubling the seating capacity in the room and upgraded audio and video presentation capabilities. The third floor build out includes the new Redstone Room meeting room as well as new offices occupied by Leadership Huntsville/ Madison County. The presenting sponsor of the event was AT&T. Gold sponsors included Optimal Geomatics and Sarah Taggart, P.C. Silvers sponsors of the ceremony were Turner Universal and Public FA, Inc. The event also featured the Academy Stars and Clowns, a group of sixth, seventh and eight graders representing Huntsville City School’s fine arts magnet school – the Academy for Academics and Arts directed by Deborah Fleischman. 36

February 2008 Initiatives

Fun and Fancy-Free: Attendees at the Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Open House and Ribbon Cutting ceremony were able to hear some of their favorite holiday songs, meet with friends and colleagues, enjoy live entertainment and experience a great variety of food choices from several local restaurants at the 2007 Chamber Open House and Ribbon Cutting Ceremony.

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ALABAMA Initiatives February 2008

Growing Through Networking

INSURANCE PROFESSIONALS ARE LOOKING HERE.

The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County hosts numerous events each month to create networking and business growth opportunities for members, as well as to coordinate efforts to grow our community. In the past few weeks, the Chamber has hosted a variety of events to include:

SALES MANAGERS ARE LOOKING HERE. ACCOUNTANTS ARE LOOKING HERE.

Welcome Reception for General & Mrs. Myles

MARKETING PROFESSIONALS ARE LOOKING HERE.

– held at the Chamber

COMPUTER ANALYSTS ARE LOOKING HERE.

Chamber executive committee member Joe Ritch greets Maj. Gen. James Myles, commanding general for the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command at a recent reception.

THE BEST LOCAL

CANDIDATES. IF YOU’RE LOOKING FOR THEM, YOU MIGHT CONSIDER LOOKING HERE TOO.

Regional Business After Hours – held at All Needz Rental Center, Inc. Open to businesses from all over Huntsville, Madison County and North Alabama, this event drew several hundred participants.

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TO ADVERTISE CALL 800-701-0898 OR EMAIL sales@al.com

Breakfast & Biz –

The Best Local Jobs

held at the Holiday Inn, downtown Huntsville Serving up breakfast and networking opportunities to get the day started right – the Chamber routinely hosts Breakfast and Biz opportunities.

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Chamber members benefit from networking events, electronic and printed publications, educational programs for small business and perhaps most importantly, the knowledge that they are part of a collective effort to establish Huntsville/Madison County as a stronger, more visible community in the global competition for economic growth.

February 2008 Initiatives

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY

BRAC on Track: Von Braun Complex Phase III Contract Awarded

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Further evidence that the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure activity, which is bringing an estimated 4,700+ federal jobs to Redstone Arsenal, is being implemented is the recent announcement that a contract has been awarded to design and build the third phase of the Von Braun Complex.

Danny Sullivan 256-679-7061 Danny@exitatthecove.com Realtor/Owner

EXIT REALTY AT THE COVE

Jennifer Kidwell 256-426-0814 Jennifer@exitatthecove.com Realtor/Owner

The U.S Army Corps of Engineers awarded a $221.2 million contract to Archer Western Contractors, Ltd., headquartered in Atlanta, for design and construction of the third and largest phase of the Von Braun Complex on Redstone Arsenal, Ala. for the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. The building will accommodate 2,649 positions and will be the largest single building on Redstone Arsenal. The 839,873-square foot facility will house 2,248 Missile Defense Agency positions that were realigned from the Washington D.C. area as a result of the 2005 BRAC, as well as 240 positions from Huntsville and 161 Army Space and Missile Defense Agency positions from the Washington D.C. area. The building will include about 750,000 square feet of administrative space, an 800seat auditorium, a cafeteria, a fitness center and a central mechanical plant. The facility will be constructed in two phases. Phase I will be completed in the spring of 2010, allowing the move-in of the first 800 to 1,000 workers that summer. Phase II will be completed in early 2011 with move-in of remaining workers in the summer. When the building is completed, the entire Von Braun Complex, including buildings that were completed in 2004 and 2007, will house approximately 4,500 personnel. Groundbreaking and construction are expected as early as spring of 2008.

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Camber Corporation Acquires Complex Solutions

February 2008 Initiatives

Camber Corporation, a Huntsville-based leading provider of full-service education, training, acquisition management, and engineering solutions to defense audiences worldwide, recently acquired Honolulu-based Complex Solutions, Inc (CSI), a premier international training provider with significant U.S. and United Nations stability, security, transition and reconstruction expertise.

Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood Recognized as State’s Largest Architecture/Engineering Firm Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood was recently recognized as the state's largest architecture/ engineering firm recently by Business Alabama magazine. With about 300 employees in Alabama, the 60-year-old firm reported $38.5 million in design fees for 2006, the most recent year for which figures are complete. This past spring, Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood acquired the Huntsville design firm Goodrum Knowles. Among the firm's Huntsville projects are the design of Lockheed Martin’s two-story corporate office building, the Missile Defense Agency’s Von Braun Phase II five-story office building, and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center/ NASA Marshall Institute Education Training Center.

AAR Corporation Buys Summa Technology AAR Corporation recently purchased Huntsville-based Summa Technology inc. for $65 million to further strengthen the company’s offerings in aerospace and defense products and services. Summa Technology designs and produces components for the defense, aerospace, and commercial manufacturing

industries, including parts for space shuttles, cruise missiles and military vehicles. AAR also acquired Huntsville-based Brown International Corp. in the past year, which also operates as part of AAR's Structures and Systems segment. AAR has about 4,500 employees at more than 40 locations around the world. Revenue reached $1.06 billion for the fiscal year that ended May 31, 2007.

Dynetics Wins $24M Air Force Research Lab Support Contract Huntsville-based Dynetics Inc. was recently awarded a five-year, $24 million Multi-Yield RFCM Investigations and Development (MYRIAD) contract for the Air Force Research Laboratory (AFRL) at WrightPatterson Air Force Base in Ohio. Dynetics was also awarded the first Task Order – a $370 K project to use advanced models and simulations to develop electronic attack techniques against threat air defense radars.

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While CSI will be a wholly-owned subsidiary of Camber, the acquisition will help the company stay on track to becoming a $500 million company. Camber is an employee-owned company with 1,400 employees’ total, 300 of which are located at the company’s headquarters in Huntsville.

From your /rst home... to your /nest estate.

Hampton Inn & Suites Coming to Hampton Cove The growth of Huntsville’s hotel and retail services industries continues with the recent groundbreaking of a four-story, 95-room Hampton Inn & Suites on U.S. Highway 431. The 52,000-square-foot-building is a development of Hospitality Group LLC of Huntsville. The developers credited the site’s proximity to the Hampton Cove residential community, including the golf course which is part of the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail – as well as the continued economic growth of the community. continued on page 42

Located in Twickenham at 204 Gates Avenue Huntsville, Alabama Initiatives February 2008

ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS, continued Quad City Contingent Comes to Learn How Tennessee Valley, Team Redstone Work Together and East Moline in Illinois, spent two days meeting with community leaders in Huntsville, Madison County and the Tennessee Valley region to learn how to be more proactive in preparing for the next BRAC after Rock Island Ironically Joe Ritch, the executive director for the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee, said the Rock Island Arsenal was pivotal in

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A contingent of 20 visitors from the Quad Cities, Iowa area recently traveled to Huntsville for two days to learn more about how communities in the Tennessee Valley BRAC region work with Team Redstone collaboratively on economic development. Community leaders from the Rock Island Arsenal area, including Davenport and Bettendorf in Iowa and Rock Island, Moline

helping create cooperation among communities in the Tennessee Valley after Redstone Arsenal gained, and then lost, jobs from Rock Island when the 1990 BRAC was reversed. It was then, Ritch said, that the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee realized that fighting and competing against each other was detrimental to regional growth associated with BRAC. In the 1995 BRAC, Redstone gained 1,700 direct government jobs and followed that with 4,700 in the 2005 BRAC, which Ritch said was the largest economic development project in the stateâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s history. The Quad-City delegation included representatives of business, government and economic development circles. In addition to meeting with community leaders in the Tennessee Valley, the group also had a tour of Cummings Research Park and Redstone Arsenal and held meetings at the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County.

History of Performance - Future of Dedication

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IT Solutions For The Warfighter and R&D Community

ASD is an exciting and well respected company within the Huntsville Community and the Defense Industry. ASD provides outstanding services and support to our customers. Program Planning & Analysis Information and Telecommunication Systems Engineering US Army Space and Missile Defense Command/ Network Engineering and Management Army Forces Strategic Command(SMDC/ARSTRAT) Systems Installation and Integration Missile Defense Agency (MDA) Web and Data Base Management Missile and Space Intelligence Center (MSIC) Call Center Management/Help Desk Asset Management To learn more about ASD please visit Acquisition Support

103 Quality Circle, Suite 200 Huntsville, AL 35806

February 2008 Initiatives

www.asd-inc.com asdhsvrecruitment@asd-inc.com EOE/M/F/D/V

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Cummings Research Park Director Rick Davis talks to visitors from the Quad Cities, Iowa area who recently traveled to Huntsville to learn more about how the communities which belong to the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee work as a team to maximize economic development growth across the entire region through Redstone Arsenal.

â&#x20AC;˘ Compiled by John Southerland

Direct Mail Techniques Direct mail remains one of the top ways to advertise for increased response rate, sales, and profit. When direct mail succeeds, it can be lucrative. Since direct mail is unsolicited advertising or promotion, it should be done with care. We can assist you in developing a profitable campaign. Direct mail is sent from mailing lists that contain leads of names and addresses of people who you have done business with in the past, or they can be people who may have never done business with your company. This type of list yields new orders and new customers or new leads to follow up with and convert. We can help you decide which direction you would like to go. We have contacts for purchased lists or can take your list and create successful direct marketing campaigns.

Direct Mail is: Targeted. It allows you to focus on your specific audience, directing your campaign to the market you want to reach. Personal. Direct mail can address customers by name. You can craft messages that are tailored for them, addressing their needs and appealing to their interests. Flexible. Direct mail can be sent in a variety of formats, including letters, postcards, or brochures. You can be creative with colors and graphics, and even offer a free sample of your product. Tangible. Customers can hold your mail piece, referring to your message as often as needed. Coupons or samples included in your mail piece help encourage customer interaction.

Direct mail is a valuable, cost-effect way

Measurable. The results of your direct mail campaign can be tracked by counting the responses or inquiries it generates. Youâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;ll know what worked and adjust your plans accordingly.

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who you are, and what your business offers.

Get to know direct mail, and let your customers get to know you! 00402022

Call today! Steve Wilson 256.532.4269 - 800.239.5271 ext. 4269 steve.wilson@htimes.com 2317 Memorial Pkwy SW - P.O. Box 1487 WS - Huntsville, AL 35801

2008 Chamber of Commerce Board

of Directors Executive Committee

Evans Quinlivan

Irma Tuder

president & CEO, Analytical Services, Inc. Chair-Elect

Dave Hargrove

Tommy Beason

Beason & Nalley, Inc. (retired) Chair Chamber Foundation

Jan Smith

Don Nalley

director, Beason & Nalley, Inc. Vice Chair, Economic Development

Linda Maynor

Government Relations, Maynard, Cooper & Gale Vice Chair, Governmental Affairs

Charlie Kettle

Jim Bolte

senior vice president, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Ala., Inc. Vice Chair, Workforce

Elizabeth Morard president & CEO, Qualis Corporation Vice Chair, Small Business

Ron Poteat

Ralph Malone

president/CEO, Triana Industries, Inc. Vice Chair, image development

Joey Ceci

president, Main Street Strategies Chair-Appointed

Mike Gillespie

chairman, Madison County Commission Chair-Appointed

Joe Ritch

Loretta Spencer

Brian Hilson

president, First American Bank Chair

“We are very fortunate to have leaders in our community who recognize the important work done by our Chamber of Commerce. Much of our success over the years can be attributed to the people that have committed very valuable time and resources to help the Chamber fulfill its mission. With the Board that was recently elected and with the Executive Committee we’ve assembled for 2008, I’m confident we will continue to execute the strategic plan and provide the appropriate return to our HREGI investors.”

partner, Sirote & Permutt, P.C. Chair-Appointed

February 2008 Initiatives

mayor, City of Huntsville Chair-Appointed

regional manager, external affairs, AT&T Immediate Past-Chair

president & CEO, System Studies & Simulation (S3), Inc. Secretary / Treasurer

president, First Commercial Bank Vice Chair, Investor Relations

N. Ala. Area Executive, Regions Bank Vice Chair, Research & Information Services

president & CEO, Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County

2008 Chamber of Commerce Elected

Board of Directors

Joe Alexander

Clayton Bass

Frank Caprio

John Cooper

Derrick Copeland

Gina DeSimone

Camber Corporation

Huntsville Museum of Art

Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne

Avocent Corporation

Applied Data Trends, Inc.

The Boeing Company

John Eagan

Joe Fadool

Kerry Fehrenbach

Ron Gray

Dr. Greg Gum

Jeff Hamilton

Wachovia Bank, N.A.

Siemens VDO / Continental AG

Intergraph

Gray Research, Inc.

Radiology of Huntsville, P.C.

The Orthopaedic Center

Tom Hancock

Tharon Honeycutt

Dr. Pam Hudson

Dr. Robert Jennings

Frederick Lanier

Frank Libutti

Booz Allen Hamilton

MSB Analytics, Inc.

Crestwood Medical Center

Alabama A&M University

J. Smith Lanier & Co.

Digital Fusion

John McMullan

Dan Montgomery

Caroline Myers

Jerre Penney

Pete Schofield

Crystal Shell

Colonial Bank

Northrop Grumman

Foreign Language Services, Inc.

Bill Penney Toyota

SPARTA, Inc.

WILL Technology

Scott Seeley

Keith Smith

David Spillers

Tom Stanton

Sandra Steele

Paula Steigerwald

Bryant Bank

SAIC

Huntsville Hospital

ADTRAN

Enfinger Steele Development, Inc.

Huntsville Botanical Garden

Al Sullivan

Dr. Dave Williams

John Wilmer

Daniel Wilson

Danny Windham

Dr. Ernie Wu

ABT, Inc.

University of Alabama Huntsville

Wilmer & Lee

Maynard Cooper & Gale, P.C.

Digium, Inc.

ERC, Inc.

Initiatives February 2008

Where to go • Who to see for products and services

Use a Chamber member... it's in your best interest Candy and the Divas www.candyanddivas.com................. 256-682-1332

Accountants CDPA, PC 415 Church St., Ste. B

35801. . . . . . . . .256-539-3555

Advertising

Fish Window Cleaning 1902 A Central Pkwy., Decatur 35601. . .256-353-8859

The Huntsville Times 2317 S. Mem. Parkway..................... 256-532-4250

Aerospace/Defense Contractors SAIC www.saic.com Paradigm Technologies 689 Discovery Dr., Ste. 302 35805..............256-382-0470 MJLM 4825 University Square, Ste.12 35816........256-217-1980

Audio Visual Systems Southern Digital Products 2120 Meridian St., 35811 ...................256-539-2600

Xerox Metro Center, Inc. 4910 Corporate Dr. 35805................256-890-4258

Communications - Wireless, Phone Service, Systems

Photocopying Services

AT & T 620 Discover Dr. Bldg. 2, Ste. 350 35806 866-620-6000

Allied Photocopy 1821 University Drive 35801...........256-539-2973

Credit Unions

Real Estate

Redstone Federal Credit Union 220 Wynn Dr. 35893........................ 256-837-6110

Vicki Baker, REALTOR 131 Old Hwy 431 S 35763................256-532-3004

Displays

Maria Binkley, REALTOR www.exitrealtyfirsthuntsville.com........256-851-9229

Inergi Product Development 3414- A Governors Dr. 35805............256-704-7700

Education – Schools, Colleges, Universities

Automotive

Calhoun Community College Hwy 31 N. Decatur 35601................256-306-2500

Woody Anderson Ford 2500 Jordan Lane, 35816...............1-800-457-1341

UAH Professional Development 210 Wilson Hall 35899....................256-824-6372

Banks

Financial Services

CapitalSouth Bank 2123 Whitesburg Dr. 35802...............256-513-4300

First Financial Group of the South, Inc. 400 Meridian St., Suite 100..............256-536-0011

First American Bank 401 Meridian St. 35801......................256-519-6900

Florist

First Commercial Bank 301 Washington St. 35801 ................256-551-3300 SOUTHBank 118 Jefferson St. N. 35801................256-535-6000 Regions www.regions.com...........................1-800-REGIONS Wachovia 409 Madison St. 35801......................256-551-4113

Business Services

Absolutely Unique Commercial Cleaning Services, Inc 9694 Madison Blvd. Ste. D-3 35758. . . . . . . . .256-461-1378 00402623

Graham & Company www.grahamcompany.com............... 256-382-9010 Industrial Properties of the South 2903 Wall Triana Hwy........................256-461-7482

Ben Porter Real Estate www.benporter.com............................256-881-9676

Edible Arrangements 6290 University Dr. 35806..................256-721-7999

MidTowne on the Park www.midtowneonthepark.com.................................. 256-922-8484 Weichert Realtors, The Executive Group 2304 S. Memorial Pkwy 35801. . . . . . . 256-533-7210 V V & W Properties, Inc. 204 Gates Ave., SE 35801...............256-539-0505

Hospitals Crestwood Medical Center One Hospital Dr. SE 35802.............256-882-3100

Restuarants

Huntsville Hospital 101 Sivley Rd. 35801......................256-265-1000

Ruthʼs Chris Steakhouse 800 Monroe St. 35801......................256-539-3930

Hotels & Motels

Gift Boutiques

Cleaning Services

Concourse Group 303 Williams Ave. Ste. 117 35801......256-532-1250

Mary Leo, REALTOR 3409 South Memorial Pkwy 35801. . . .256-759-7200

Software Development

Bevill Conference Center & Hotel 550 Sparkman Drive 35810.......... 256-721-9428

Eclipse Business Services www.eclipsehsv.com

HiWAAY Internet Services 2227 Drake Ave., Suite 28 35802. . . . .256-650-4900

Office Equipment

Office Pride 2600 Newby Rd. 35805..................256-539-7777

al.com www.al.com

Internet Service

New Millennium Technologies www.nm-tech.com.............................256-704-2324 .

A Basket Case 6124 Hwy 72E 35748.....................256-776-2800

List your company in this Buyers Guide • For information call 532-4250

Do you

recognize these faces? These are the

people dedicated

Bobby White

Robin Frey

Patrice Simmons

Rod Roddy

General Manager

Public Relations Manager

Finance Director

General Sales Manager

Frank Harbin

Jim Sigle

Chris Pace

Carlos Carter

New Car Sales Manager

Used Car Manager

Serving Huntsville for over 46 Years 256-539-9441 â&#x20AC;˘ 2500 Jordan Lane â&#x20AC;˘ www.woodyandersonford.com

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to our Huntsville community.

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