International Flagship for Foreign Direct Investment, Trade & Transportation Initiatives June 2009
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June 2009 Initiatives
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Thanks to Our Investors Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
Development Partner ($250,000+ invested annually: public sector)
City of Huntsville
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
Chamber Trustees
($10,000 - $24,999 invested annually)
Avocent Corporation Beason & Nalley, Inc. Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama Booz Allen Hamilton Breland Companies Camber Corporation CINRAM, Inc. Cobham COLSA Corporation Continental AG Huntsville Area Association of Realtors Huntsville/Madison County Builders Association, Inc.
Progress Partners
($5,000 - $9,999 invested annually)
AEgis Technologies Analytical Services, Inc. Applied Data Trends, Inc. BAE Systems BASF Catalysts LLC CapitalSouth Bank Coldwell Banker/McLain Real Estate Colonial Properties Consolidated Construction Dynetics Enfinger Steele Development, Inc. ERC, Incorporated First Commercial Bank J. Smith Lanier & Co. Jerry Damson Honda Acura Keystone Foods Corporation Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne LG Electronics Alabama, Inc. M. B. Kahn Construction Co., Inc.
Maynard Cooper & Gale, P.C.
President’s Circle ($25,000 - $49,999 invested annually)
ADTRAN AT&T The Boeing Company Colonial Bank Compass Bank Crestwood Medical Center Deltacom The Huntsville Times Lockheed Martin Redstone Federal Credit Union SAIC Verizon Wireless Wachovia Bank, N.A. 4
June 2009 Initiatives
Progress Investors
Intergraph Corporation Intuitive Research & Technology Corporation L-3 Communications Lamar Outdoor Advertising Look Outdoor Advertising Northrop Grumman Parsons Corporation SportsMED Orthopaedic Surgery & Spine Center Taos Industries
NAI Chase Commercial Realty Navistar Diesel of Alabama The Orthopaedic Center Parker Hannifin Corporation Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc. RBC Bank Samples Properties Sirote & Permutt, P.C. SL1-Inc SOUTHBank Stanley Associates Superior Bank The Surgery Center of Huntsville System Studies and Simulation, Inc. Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. Turner Universal Construction WAFF-TV Wilmer & Lee, P.A. Yellowbook Anonymous
($2,500 - $4,999 invested annually)
4SITE, Incorporated Applied Geo Technologies Averbuch Realty / Averbuch Enterprises BancorpSouth Baron Services Belzon BFA Systems Bill Penney Toyota Bradley Arant Boult Cummings Brown Precision Bryant Bank Century Automotive Chapman Sisson Architects Cintas Corporation DESE Research, Inc. DHS Systems Digital Fusion DRS Technologies Fountain Parker Harbarger & Associates Fuqua & Partners Garber Construction Co., Inc. General Dynamics Gray Research, Inc.
The Heritage Club Huntsville Tractor & Equipment, Inc. Jacobs JH Partners Architecture & Interiors Kelly Services Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. Kudzu Productions Lamb Commercial Services, Inc. North Alabama Gas District Progress Bank QinetiQ North America QTEC Qualis Corporation Radiance Technologies, Inc. SESI ServisFirst Bank Torch Technologies Weichert Realtors – The Executive Group Wesfam Restaurants, Inc. – Burger King WHNT-19 Wilson Lumber Woodland Homes of Huntsville Woody Anderson Ford
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June 2009 Initiatives
initiatives Photo of CRP by dK-studio, © Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
june 2009 cover story
International Flagship for Foreign Direct Investment, Trade & Transportation Montgomery,Washington Trips: page 26 Cummings Research Park: page 27 Leading Next Race to Space: page 29
features Economic Development Highlights including Port of Huntsville, GATR Technologies, HAWK Enterprises, Teledyne Brown Engineering, Miltec Corporation, Garver, Intuitive Research & Technology Corporation, SimSTAFF Technical Services, PPG Industries, Rescue ONE Connector Boats, UAHuntsville and Imagine Media
Courtesy of WestWind Technologies, Inc.
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 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.
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AAAA SBA Profile: The Land Trust Huntsville Utilities & TVA Diatherix Reaching the Workforce Tennessee Valley to Tuscaloosa Report Card Time
30 31 34 37 39 44 46
Courtesy of Intuitive Research & Technology Corporation.
developments
mission The mission of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
is to prepare, develop and promote our community for economic growth.
contact Chamber of Commerce of
Huntsville/Madison County 225 Church Street Huntsville, AL 35801 256.535.2000
on the web www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com www.aSmartPlace.com
HREGI Investors Chamber Board Listing Community Profile TRC Update Growth Through Networking Chamber Staff Listing Armed Forces Celebration 2009
4 8 10 12 22 38 45
editorial staff
Publisher Brian Hilson Executive Editor John Southerland
Editorial Designer Kristi Sherrard ontributing Writers Lucia Cape, Harrison Diamond, C John Southerland, Brittany Taylor, Loren Traylor, and Mike Ward Photography Chamber of Commerce staff & publications (if not credited) Certain images from Shutterstock.com Advertising Sales Ray Johnson The Huntsville Times
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Chamber of Commerce
Board of Directors and Executive Committee 2009 Executive Committee
Dear Chamber of Commerce Investors, Community Leaders and Friends: Of the six editions of Initiatives magazine each year, this month’s international theme is my favorite. Among the many great things happening in our local economy, there’s something about Huntsville/Madison County’s global connections through investment, trade, transportation and foreign relations that really puts in perspective how advanced our community is today. The articles in this month’s Initiatives were all written by our Chamber staff, and something else that I find exciting is that they not only wrote the articles, but many of them are based upon the Chamber’s programs and activities. Very seldom do we describe our marketing processes – we prefer to focus more on the results, but in this Initiatives you’ll find articles on what we’ve been doing in programs like defense industry marketing, college student workforce recruitment, and our annual Montgomery and Washington D.C. trips. Inside you’ll also find a feature article on our own Rick Davis, the Chamber’s Cummings Research Park Director, who was invited to serve as a keynote speaker at a recent business event in Paris. Also included are articles on “Leading the Next Race to Space”, the role of utility and economic development partners Huntsville Utilities and the Tennessee Valley Authority, economic development highlights, and much more. At our recent Economic Development Summit, the Chamber reported to our Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative investors on the accomplishments of our numerous marketing programs. The bottom line is Huntsville/Madison County has essentially doubled our annual employment and capital investment goals over the five years of execution of HREGI, with more than 25,000 announced jobs and $1.5 billion in capital investment. As always, we invite you to call on us for additional information regarding the Chamber’s economic development programs, or to assist you and your company with any other needs you may have.
Brian Hilson President & CEO Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
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June 2009 Initiatives
Irma Tuder, Chair, Analytical Services Don Nalley, Chair-Elect, Beason & Nalley Evans Quinlivan, Immediate Past Chair, RBC Bank Tommy Beason, Chamber Foundation Chair, retired Jan Smith, Secretary/Treasurer, System Studies and Simulation Charlie Kettle, Vice Chair - Economic Development, First Commercial Bank Linda Maynor, Vice Chair - Governmental Affairs, Maynard, Cooper & Gale Ron Poteat, Vice Chair - Investor Relations, Regions Bank Joe Alexander, Vice Chair - Workforce, Camber Corporation Beth Martin, Vice Chair - Small Business, RBC Bank Jeremiah Knight, Vice Chair - Research & Info. Services, Verizon Wireless Elizabeth Morard, Vice Chair - Image Development, Qualis Corporation Mayor Tommy Battle, Chair-Appointed, City of Huntsville Jim Bolte, Chair-Appointed, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama Chairman Mike Gillespie, Chair-Appointed, Madison Co. Commission Joe Ritch, Chair-Appointed, Sirote & Permutt Brian Hilson, President/CEO, Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison Co. Elected Board
Cynthia Achorn, Analytical Services Clayton Bass, Huntsville Museum of Art Penny Billings, BancorpSouth Frank Caprio, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings Derrick Copeland, Applied Data Trends Elizabeth Dotts, Public FA Tracy Doughty, Huntsville Hospital John Eagan, Wachovia Bank Joe Fadool, Continental AG Kerry Fehrenbach, Intergraph Corporation Ron Gray, Gray Research Jeff Hamilton, The Orthopaedic Center Tom Hancock, Booz Allen Hamilton John Holly, Lockheed Martin Corporation Tharon Honeycutt, MSB Analytics Dr. Pam Hudson, Crestwood Medical Center Dr. Robert Jennings Tony Jones, The Boeing Company Frederick Lanier, J. Smith Lanier & Co. Frank Libutti, Pegasus John McMullan, Colonial Bank Dan Montgomery, Northrop Grumman Caroline Myers, Foreign Language Services Joe Newberry, Redstone Federal Credit Union Tony Palumbo, Raytheon Company Pete Schofield, SPARTA Crystal Shell, WILL Technology Todd Slyman, Village of Providence Keith Smith, SAIC Dr. O’Neal Smitherman, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology David Spillers, Huntsville Hospital Tom Stanton, ADTRAN Sandra Steele, Enfinger Steele Development Al Sullivan, ABT Dr. Dave Williams, UAHuntsville John Wilmer, Wilmer & Lee Danny Windham, Digium Dr. Ernie Wu, ERC
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community profile
TOP 10 EMPLOYERS
Population
Madison County
2000 Census
276,700 158,216
29,329
342,376
Current Estimate*
319,510
38,275
395,570
City of Huntsville 171,327
City of Huntsville Madison Metro Area
Redstone Arsenal* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,373 NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,177 Huntsville Hospital System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 5,126 The Boeing Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,200 Huntsville City Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,000
Households & Income 147,283
CINRAM, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,861
Avg. Household Income $69,882 $65,558 $85,820 $67,466 Per Capita Income $28,209 $28,316 $32,180 $26,874
Intergraph Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,450
# of Households
121,186
*May 2009
69,229
13,875
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov), 2007 American Community Survey
Sanmina-SCI . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,500 City of Huntsville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,199 Madison County Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,150 Source: Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
*includes onsite contractors
Aerospace & Defense Huntsville/Madison County is home to the U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center which combine to drive a thriving aerospace and defense technology industry. More than 32,000 people work at Redstone Arsenal and NASA managing some of the country’s most important and sophisticated technology programs including missiles, aviation and space exploration.
Research & Technology
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Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park has earned a reputation as a global
For more information visit:
park in the U.S., Cummings Research Park is home to more than 285 compa-
HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com
nies and 25,000 people involved in technology research and development.
June 2009 Initiatives
leader in technology development. The second-largest science and technology
Initiatives June 2009
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Group photo taken by J Hanshaw Photography
2009 Total Resource Campaign April 23 – June 25 For information call Donna McCrary at 535-2027.
The Chamber’s annual Total Resource Campaign is designed to help area businesses align their marketing efforts to targeted Chamber events, publications and electronic media that best match the company’s targeted branding and marketing goals. The 2009 TRC “Chase for the Championship” is off to a fast start and is well on the way to reaching and surpassing its 2009 goal of $1.2 million.
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY
Nationwide Grassroots Manufacturing Workforce Campaign Comes to Huntsville
Port of Huntsville Honors Sen. Richard Shelby During Air Cargo Facility Grand Opening The Port of Huntsville recently honored Senator Richard Shelby during a ribbon cutting ceremony to celebrate its newest air cargo facility. Having helped secure more than $19.6 million in funding for capital improvements to the Intermodal Center since 2001 – including the new air cargo facility – Senator Shelby was honored with a special presentation during the event. According to Rick Tucker, Executive Director, Port of Huntsville, “Senator Shelby has been a tremendous advocate of the Port of Huntsville for many years and has worked tirelessly to help secure funding that has enabled our operations to continue to grow and work toward our mission of providing quality multi-modal transportation services to a diverse regional customer base and stimulating the economic growth and development of the Tennessee Valley region.” Construction of the 90,000-square-foot facility began in May 2008 and totaled more than $7 million. The facility, which was constructed by Decatur-based Fite Building Company, Inc., features a 5,250-square-foot cold storage area and 20-foot by 70-foot double bay doors. The new development will almost double in size the current 100,000-square-foot Air Cargo South facility where global Swiss freight forwarder, Panalpina, has resided since 1990. Another 100,000-square-foot air cargo building houses several carriers and freight forwarders, including UPS Supply Chain Solutions, UPS, WestWind Inc., BAX Global, and FedEx. “The new facility will add significant office and warehouse space at the Intermodal Center, and the inclusion of cold storage adds a new element to our available services,” said Mitch Bradley, Director, International Intermodal Center. “Although the economy took a downturn shortly after construction began last year, we felt that it was important to put the infrastructure in place to meet the needs of future growth and expansion once the economy strengthens. We have full confidence that once the market turns around, there will be a surge in the air cargo industry, and we will be ready.” Bradley Mark McDaniel, Chairman, Board of Directors, Port of Huntsville, credits the arrival of Panalpina in 1990 with opening a key international gateway to air freight and distribution between the United States, Europe and Mexico. “Huntsville’s inland port offers several advantages that position the new facility to attract additional carriers to the area,” said McDaniel. “Less congestion in the air space and on the surrounding roads along with competitive real estate costs and landing fees are among the strong selling points.” McDaniel, along with other executives at the Port of Huntsville, believes the newest facility will further its objective of expanding operations to include an Asian carrier and position the Port of Huntsville as the Asian gateway to the Southeast. For additional information on the Intermodal Center’s new air cargo facility, call 256-772-7084. • 14
June 2009 Initiatives
A nationwide workforce recruitment campaign that specializes in the recruitment of young people for manufacturing jobs is now being implemented in Huntsville. The campaign, “Dream It. Do It (DIDI),” was formed to address the issues of workforce shortages in the nation’s manufacturing sector. DIDI surveyed manufacturers and found that 80 percent of them had a “moderate to serious” shortage in the workforce. One common problem found was that young people had an “outdated” image of manufacturing. The campaign aims to promote manufacturing jobs that pay well and are engaging. “This launch is the culmination of three years of preparation and planning. Its purpose is to enlighten 16-26 year-olds, their parents, counselors and teachers about exciting, challenging, high-wage careers in manufacturing,” said Ronnie Boles, the campaign’s chair and owner of General and Automotive Machine Shop. •
Hawk Enterprises Wins Award for Aviation Maintenance Hawk Enterprises, a Huntsville-based company specializing in Army aviation maintenance, was recently awarded the Army Aviation Material Readiness Award for Contribution for a Small Business Organization at the 35th Annual Joseph P. Cribbins Aviation Product Symposium at the Von Braun Center. Hawk was recognized for its expertise in aircraft maintenance, its information-sharing capabilities to the soldier and for the development various components of Aviation Ground Support Equipment. Hawk Enterprises, LLC, a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business concern, was established in 2000 by William (Bill) Tripp, a 32-year veteran of Sikorsky Aircraft. Tripp has been associated with the UH60 Black Hawk for more than 32 years in virtually every aspect of operations, maintenance, and logistics support. •
BRAC Impact Study Reveals 33,000 Jobs, 70,000 Residents To Be Added in Tennessee Valley Region Madison County Commission officials recently released a report outlining the projected growth for the Tennessee Valley as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005 consolidations at Redstone Arsenal. A regional summit was held at the Decatur campus of Calhoun Community College to unveil the Tennessee Valley Regional Growth Coordination Plan (TVRGCP), which highlights the impact of BRAC on 13 contiguous counties in northern Alabama and southern Tennessee. The Primary Study Area (PSA) of Limestone, Madison and Morgan counties is the core of the plan. “This plan provides a comprehensive impact analysis related to the growth at Redstone Arsenal and its effect on local governments,” said Mike Gillespie, TVRGCP chair and chairman of the Madison County Commission. “Outcomes can be utilized by local and regional entities to guide decision making and to develop regional coordination structures to facilitate communication, potential funding and implementation of the Tennessee Valley Gillespie Regional Growth Coordination Plan.” The 2005 decisions of the BRAC Commission will result in significant economic growth in the 13 counties of the Tennessee Valley region over the next five years. However, the new missions at Redstone Arsenal and new contractor jobs will also require housing, create a need to educate more K-12 students, increase the need for a skilled workforce and create more demand on local government and transportation services. Estimates, using the most current data available, were prepared by Taimerica Management Company. Other organizations have estimated that population from non-BRAC growth will total more than 34,000 in the region between 2007 and 2012. New projects announced by chambers in the PSA demonstrate that economic growth is accelerating and diversifying. When combined with projected BRAC growth of 19,700 jobs and an increase in population of 37,000, the region should grow by a combined total of 33,000 jobs and 70,000 residents, mostly in the PSA, between 2008 and 2011. The BRAC process will generate about $2 billion in new construction in the region over the next four years. That spending will generate about 12,000 jobs at the peak of construction in 2011. The job impacts from construction will end as construction work ends in 2012. The 13 counties will witness a permanent increase of
19,700 jobs as a result of new BRAC missions at the Arsenal and the corresponding contractor tail. About half these jobs are spinoff jobs outside of the contractor, military and civil service workforce. About 22 percent of these jobs have already landed in the region as of January 2008 when this study began; the balance of 15,400 permanent jobs is expected between 2008 and 2011. The addition of more than $1.1 billion of new payroll (BRAC, contractor tail and spin-off jobs) in the region will generate additional retail sales and sales taxes of various kinds. State sales tax revenues will grow permanently by about $18 million per year in the region. Local sales taxes in the PSA will grow permanently by about $17.6 million per year. State income Maj. Gen. Jim Myles, AMCOM, discusses the importance of the tax revenues in Alabama from BRAC are estimated at $43.4 Tennessee Valley Regional Growth Coordination Plan released million per year by 2011. The full reports, executive summary by Madison County. According to the study, the region should and media briefings that outline the recommendations related grow by a combined total of 33,000 jobs and 70,000 resito schools, transportation, public utilities, housing, healthcare dents, mostly in the counties of Madison, Morgan and Limeand economic development, among other areas, are available stone, between 2008 and 2011. on the web site at www.tvrgcp.com. • Economic Development Highlights continued on page 16
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS continued from page 15
GATR Technologies Creates Expansion Opportunities GATR Technologies, the creator and manufacturer of innovative satellite technology that has developed inflatable, easily deployable satellites that can travel easier, lighter and in more remote areas than traditional static antennas, is growing its Huntsville office. The company, which recently held a ribbon cutting at its new facility in Huntsville, has increased from a two-person research effort five years ago to now employing about 20 full and part time. The company has also helped bolster the Huntsville/ Madison County economy by utilizing local companies for materials and technical subcontracts. The company’s product has been used by the military and disaster relief agencies in places such as the mountains of Afghanistan and in New Orleans in the immediate wake of Hurricane Katrina. Don Nalley, chair-elect of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors, said that the company is representative of the technology hub that is Huntsville/Madison County. “In a time of national economic downturn, GATR truly represents the best of what our community has to offer – entrepreneurial spirit and the creation of technology that can be traced back to working in the nation’s space program,” Nalley said.
Brenda Martin, Director of Multicultural Affairs for the City of Huntsville, congratulated the company on its achievements on behalf of the City of Huntsville. “GATR Technologies is an excellent example of the kind of company that thrives in North Alabama,” Martin said. “Using an innovative approach to solve a common and persistent problem in military, humanitarian and industry communications, Paul Gierow leveraged a great idea, this community’s talented engineers and technicians, Redstone Arsenal’s contracting resources, local expertise and technical facilities and his own hard work and dedication.” GATR founder and president Paul Gierow said the company’s success allows for more humanitarian efforts such as bringing communications capabilities to rural areas. He also described the “secret sauce” of success in Huntsville. “The secret sauce for being a successful business in Huntsville is not only having the technology, but it is our government customers. It takes the risk of government employees to use your product,” he said. “Our technology is cool, but we have proven that our technology also works,” Gierow said. •
Teledyne Brown Produces Lunar Lander Project Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. (TBE) recently showcased the Lunar Lander Test Bed, the most recent spacecraft designed, developed and manufactured by the company for future lunar robotic exploration. In conjunction with delivery of the robotic lunar lander, the company held a ribbon cutting for its newly designated Teledyne Space Systems Manufacturing Center. Guest speakers included Congressman Robert B. Aderholt, Todd May, special assistant to the director, NASA-MSFC and Marty Kress, executive director of the Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation. The event included a demonstration of the lander’s thrusters which are used to control and cushion the vehicle during landing. Orion Propulsion, Inc. developed the propulsion system for the Lunar Lander. “The Lunar Lander Test Bed is a perfect example of the kinds of complex space hardware systems Teledyne Brown builds,” said Rex D. Geveden, president, Teledyne Brown Engineering. “This particular system was designed, manufactured, and tested in just three months, which speaks to the agility and technical depth we have at Teledyne Brown.” Geveden The focus of the Teledyne Space Systems Manufacturing Center will be on manned space flight hardware, robotic spacecraft and satellites. • 16
June 2009 Initiatives
Lightweight SMDC-ONE Nanosatellites Delivered; Ready for Orbit Miltec Corporation, a subsidiary of Ducommun Inc., recently delivered flight-ready nanosatellites to the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command/Army Forces Strategic Command (USASMDC/ARSTRAT) in Huntsville. This delivery marks the completion of the first U.S. Army satellite development program since the Courier 1B communications satellite in 1960. The first of the SMDC-ONE nanosatellites will be placed into orbit in 2009 and the remaining seven at a later date. “This marks a real milestone for the Army,” said Dr. Steven Messervy, deputy to the commander for Research, Development and Acquisition, USASMDC/ARSTRAT at Redstone Arsenal. Messervy stated that USASMDC/ARSTRAT Commander Lt. Gen. Kevin Campbell had announced the nanosatellite program goals at a meeting of the National Space Society in April, 2008. Satellites traditionally take many years to develop and cost billions of dollars, but these were produced in less than a year at less than $1 million each. “These are technology demonstrators, not an operational capability, that we hope will someday lead to an operational capability,” said Nanosatellite technology manager and SMDC-ONE program manager John London, of the USASMDC/ARSTRAT
Technical Center. “The cost estimate to integrate, test and prepare for flight for each satellite is in the $150200k range.” Joseph C. Berenato, chairman and chief executive officer of Ducommun, stated, “This delivery demonstrates our ability to design, develop and deliver a flight-ready satellite system in less than one year. This performance highlights the unique design and development capabilities at Miltec and strengthens our partnership with the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command. We are looking forward to a successful on-orbit demonstration which is the next phase of this program.” The SMDC-ONE program is managed by the USASMDC/ ARSTRAT Technical Center, Space Division. The design and development effort was primarily conducted at Miltec Corporation located in Huntsville, with portions of the design and integration testing performed at Miltec’s System Integration and Test Facility located in Iuka, Miss. Miltec worked closely with the Aviation and Missile Research Development and Engineer-
ing Center (AMRDEC) and NASA Marshall Space Flight Center for flight qualification and subsystem testing. Delivery of the SMDC-ONE satellites signals the beginning of the launch integration and technical demonstration planning phase. •
Economic Development Highlights continued on page 18
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS continued from page 17
Garver Expands in Cummings Research Park
Brock Johnson, Garver president/CEO; Don Nalley, chair-elect of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors; and Jerry McCarley, senior project manager/regional office administrator for the Huntsville office of Garver at the opening of the company’s new 13,000 square-foot facility in Cummings Research Park.
Garver, a regional engineering firm based in Arkansas with locations across the Southeast, recently held a ribbon cutting to announce the grand opening of its new 13,000 square-foot facility in Cummings Research Park. Garver offers a full range of engineering and related services such as transportation, general civil, mechanical engineering, surveying, and construction management and observation to its clients, including the City of Huntsville. Don Nalley, chair-elect of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors thanked the company for choosing to expand in Huntsville. “We certainly appreciate that you have selected our community to expand your business and we are proud to have you here. Companies like you contribute to the reputation that this community, with the highest concentration of engineers per capita, really is a smart place to live, work and play,” Nalley said. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle congratulated the company on its expansion. “This research park is exactly what our forefathers had in mind as a place where companies like you could grow. We are glad to have you in CRP,” Battle said. “Now, keep the contracts coming and keep those jobs coming.” The company’s president/CEO Brock Johnson attended the opening and remarked about the importance of Huntsville to the company. “We are grateful for the work that we do for Huntsville,” Johnson said. “You never see a television show dedicated to engineers, but I am proud of the work we do to maintain the infrastructure of this community. I issue a challenge to our staff here to achieve a new level of excellence.” •
Huntsville Company Wins Regional Contractor of Year Award from SBA Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation was named the Small Business Administration (SBA) Region IV Prime Contractor of the Year for 2009. This award recognizes outstanding performance supporting AMCOM systems and functional areas. “We are honored to receive this award,” stated Rey Almodovar, CEO of Intuitive. “We value our customers and strive to provide the best services and products. This award is also a testament to our employees and their outstanding performance.” Every year the SBA honors small businesses that have provided the federal government with outstanding goods and services as prime contractors. Prime Contractor of the Year nominations are judged on the following criteria: overall management, financial strength, labor relations, customer interface, technical capabilities, resource utilization, cost performance, delivery performance, quality performance, special achievements, and exceptional results. Within each of the 10 regions, the SBA chooses one regional business for this award. Intuitive won for Region IV, which includes the states of Alabama, Florida, Georgia, Kentucky, Mississippi, North Carolina, South Carolina and Tennessee. Intuitive is competing with other regional winners for the National Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year Award which will be presented at a special ceremony in Washington D.C. • 18
June 2009 Initiatives
Forbes Names Huntsville a Top City for Defense Jobs Citing Redstone Arsenal and NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center as well as numerous defense contractors such as Booz Allen Hamilton and others that had hundreds of job openings in 2007, Forbes recently ranked Huntsville as a “Top City for Defense Jobs”. “The ranking confirms that the Huntsville/Madison County community continues to benefit from Redstone Arsenal and related government contractors,” said Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board Chair Irma Tuder. “As the demand for a technical workforce continues to increase, the ranking will help us attract the needed talent to our area.” The ranking also mentions the Army Materiel Command coming to Redstone Arsenal as part of BRAC 2005 recommendations that will bring 4,700 direct jobs to Huntsville with a contracting tail of nearly 5,000. “This is great recognition and supports what we tell workforce candidates who are considering career opportunities in the Huntsville/Madison County community,” said Chamber President/CEO Brian Hilson. “The community has always had a tremendous number of highly educated people in many different high-technology fields. And with the expected growth associated with the 2005 BRAC, Huntsville and Madison County will continue to have excellent career opportunities available in aerospace and defense, which remain two of our targeted industry and workforce recruitment areas.” In addition to the ranking as a top city for defense jobs, Forbes recently named Huntsville the 15th best place in the country for business and careers and indicated that Huntsville will have the second highest job growth in the country. Huntsville led the State of Alabama in both rankings. The new ranking is an increase from the 2008 ranking of 50. Huntsville also became the first city in Alabama’s history to receive the highest bond rating from Standard & Poor’s (AAA) and was also recently named the Country’s Leading Metro for Consumer Lending Growth (Wall Street Journal, March 30, 2009). •
Modeling & Simulation Staffing Company Opens in Huntsville SimSTAFF Technical Services, a company that specializes in the staffing of professionals in the modeling and simulation field, recently held a ribbon cutting to announce its expansion into the Huntsville market. “This is very special for our community for a number of reasons – for one, this company is well known in the modeling and simulation field and their presence here certainly highlights many of the wonderful things occurring in our business community right now. Secondly, SimSTAFF is focused in an area that is rapidly becoming known as a premier modeling and simulation community,” said Irma Tuder, Chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors. Craig Fouts, SimSTAFF founder and director of operations, said he was excited about bringing the company into Huntsville and that he hopes his services will be of value to Huntsville’s growing modeling and simulation industry. “Our entrance into Huntsville is very exciting. We look forward to providing companies here with the workforce that they need to get the job done so that this country can continue to lead the world in technology,” Fouts said. •
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS continued from page 19
Sen. Shelby Predicts Continued Growth The importance of the programs and the activity that occurs every day at Redstone Arsenal cannot be overstated, according to U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby. In fact, though the Arsenal is filled with U.S. Army and NASA workers managing an array of highly visible programs vital to the nation’s military and space programs, Shelby said other agencies there are also poised to grow.
Shelby said the training of personnel in understanding and countering the threat of improvised explosive devices (IEDs) should expand under the Department of Justice at Redstone, adding that the Department of Justice needs an even stronger presence on Redstone to effectively combat terrorism domestically. “If people can build IEDs in places like Iraq and Afghanistan with nothing, think of what they could do here in America,” he said. “We need to take care of that right here at Redstone.” Shelby, speaking at the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County’s Annual Washington Update Breakfast, also discussed the importance of aerospace, missile defense and other programs led by Redstone Arsenal in light of emerging threats of North Korea and Iran. The event, presented by The Boeing Company, was sold out with about 1,300 people in attendance. “What we do in D.C., particularly in the areas of aerospace, defense and intelligence, affects this region,” Shelby said. Shelby said that in working with senators from other states, the way to win support for the types of projects being worked at Redstone is to focus on how the project will “impact the nation” as opposed to how many jobs it will create in the state. “We could all do better by saying ‘we’ instead of ‘I’,” he said. He alluded to the recent test of a long-range missile by North Korea and the burgeoning nuclear ambitions of Iran. “North Korea is a rogue state. Everyone knows that. When they test a missile, it is a reminder to me that we better not go backward on missile defense,” Shelby said. •
Two Huntsville Companies Win Governor’s Awards During a recent ceremony at the State Capitol, Gov. Bob Riley recently honored seven Alabama companies for their success in exporting. Two of the companies honored were PPG Industries and Rescue ONE Connector Boats of Huntsville. During the event, Riley awarded the Governor’s Trade Excellence Award. The award was created in 2005 to recognize Alabama’s successful exporters as role models for the Alabama business community. Taylor Edge, president of Rescue ONE Connector Boats, said that he was thrilled to win the award and that honor shows the reach of his company. “It is an honor to be recognized by the governor, and it brings awareness to what our company can provide not only locally, but also internationally,” said Edge. Award winners were nominated from industries within the manufacturing, service and agribusiness sectors, and were selected by the Export Alabama Alliance based on innovation in exporting, amount of sales from exporting, sustainable growth in export sales and the use of assistance from the Export Alabama Alliance, which assists in the guidance and facilitation of Alabama’s export promotion and assistance programs. • 20
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Former NASA Head Joins UAHuntsville Faculty as Eminent Scholar The University of Alabama in Huntsville (UAHuntsville) recently named Dr. Michael Griffin, one of the world’s leading aerospace engineers, as an eminent scholar and a professor of mechanical and aerospace engineering. The announcement was made by UAHuntsville President Dr. David Williams. “Michael Griffin is recognized worldwide as a leading authority on aerospace engineering and as a visionary for American space flight,” Williams said. “We believe his contributions to this university and the Huntsville community will be of tremendous value. This appointment adds new dimensions to historic areas of strength, making his appointment an investment in the future of UAHuntsville. Dr. Griffin’s appointment as a professor and eminent scholar will help raise the visibility of our aerospace engineering program to an even higher level. His achievements, both from a technical standpoint and as an academician, make him a valuable addition to our campus and provide great opportunities for this university. I’m delighted that Mike has decided to come and educate our students and collaborate with our faculty and with the rest of the Huntsville aerospace community.”
Griffin said he was excited about his new role at UAHuntsville. “Everyone I have talked to in Huntsville, beginning with Dave Williams and his senior staff at UAHuntsville, university trustees and local industry and community leaders, has been incredibly gracious in welcoming Rebecca and me to the Huntsville community,” he said. “For my part, in my new role at the
university and in the larger community, I look forward to the opportunity to show how glad we are to be here. I intend to remain actively involved in all aspects of U.S. defense and civil space programs,” he added, including such activities as teaching, research and helping develop the next generation of aerospace designers and leaders. •
UAHuntsville president Dave Williams, right, prepares to present Michael Griffin, former head of NASA, an official UAHuntsville shirt at a special announcement declaring his intent to assume a teaching and research position with the university.
Economic Development Highlights continued on page 24
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Growth Through Networking The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County hosts numerous events each month to create networking and business growth opportunities for members, and to coordinate efforts to grow our community. Examples of recent events include:
Breakfast & Biz March 17, sponsored by and located at the Benton H. Wilcoxen Ice Complex A crowd of more than 200 celebrated St. Patrick’s Day while networking with other green-clad attendees.
Business After Hours April 14, sponsored by and located at SportsMED SportsMED recently opened its new facility and proudly showcased their new capabilities.
Best Places to Work April 16 at the Westin, sponsored by First Commercial Bank More than 100 companies participated in the 2nd annual Best Places to Work survey process. For this year’s winners, see page 24. 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.
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS continued from page 21
Photo by Pumpkin and Peaches Photography
Companies Named ‘Best Places to Work’ In Huntsville/Madison County
The winners of the second annual Best Places to Work competition know that it takes more than hiring good people to be a best place to work. It requires the development of programs that help retain employees and maintain high levels of employee satisfaction.
Fifteen companies were selected as the “Best Places to Work” in Huntsville/Madison County at the second annual Best Places to Work awards luncheon held recently at The Westin. The event was co-hosted by the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County and the North Alabama Society for Human Resource Management. Presented by First Commercial Bank, the event honors Huntsville/Madison County’s outstanding employers whose benefits, policies and practices are among the region’s best. More than 100 businesses were initially nominated for the award. Winners were determined based solely on a survey completed by employees and tabulated by an independent third party, Quantum Workplace, a research partner for the nationwide Best Places to Work™ competition. Quantum Workplace administers more than 5,000 employee engagement surveys each year. Winners were selected in three categories: organizations with between 25 and 74 local employees; organizations with between 75 and 249 local employees; and employers with 250 local employees or more. Winners in each of the categories included: 25-74 workers • Anglin Reichmann Snellgrove & Armstrong, PC • Aranea Solutions, Inc. • Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. • Nesin Therapy Services* • Willbrook Solutions, Inc. 75-249 workers • Avion, Inc. • Booz Allen Hamilton* • Davidson Technologies • Intuitive Research and Technology Corporation* • Tec-Masters, Inc. 250+ workers • ADTRAN, Inc. • Camber Corporation* • ITT-CAS Corporation • Jacobs ESTS Group* • Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. * Also a 2008 Best Places to Work winner Quantum Workplace measured and selected companies based on the following criteria: • Team Effectiveness • Alignment with Goals • Individual Contribution • Trust in Senior Leaders • Work Engagement
• Retention Probability • Trust with Co-worker • Manager Effectiveness • Feeling Valued • People Practices
Once nominated, Quantum Workplace administered a survey to employees and tabulated the results. Winners were based exclusively on the outcome of the employee surveys. • 24
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~ highlights compiled by John Southerland & Harrison Diamond
Imagine Media Opens in Madison Imagine Media, a new graphic production and design business of Southern Convention Services (SCS), held a ribbon cutting recently to announce the grand opening of its new state-of-the-art facility in Madison. Imagine Media was created as a separate company to address the growing design and production needs of its clients. “SCS is excited about the creation of our Imagine Media division. We feel it’s large enough to have the right people and equipment to do your job well, but small enough to give your graphics and other projects the personal attention needed to be sure they’re done right. That’s why Imagine Media will be offering a full complement of graphic production and design services,” said Bryan Boyd, SCS president. Imagine Media is home to format printers from 42” to 104” wide. In addition to the ribbon cutting, the company introduced its hp DesignJet 10000 which at 104” is the largest printer in town with the highest resolution. “But more important than our equipment is our staff,” said Dean Dexter, Imagine Media chief creative officer. “Our designers pride themselves on creating solutions, solving problems and providing our customers true long-term value while saving them time and money right now.” •
Chamber Hosts Stimulus Briefing for Small Business Community The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County recently held a special briefing for the small business community about the stimulus package. More than 100 people attended the event. Speakers included staff from the Small Business Administration, the Southern Development Council, Sirote & Permutt and Beason & Nalley. The presentation is currently on the Chamber’s small business site along with a video of the presentations. To see each, visit the Chamber web site: www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act contains a package of loan fee reductions, higher guarantees, new SBA programs, secondary market incentives, and enhancements to current SBA programs that will help unlock credit markets and begin economic recovery for the nation’s small business sector. The bill also authorizes refinancing for certain SBA loans so borrowers can expand their businesses on favorable terms, and expands leverage capability for Small Business Investment Companies. •
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Chamber Montgomery, Washington D.C. Trips Bring Community, Government Leaders Together
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n March and again in April, the Chamber of Commerce led delegations of community leaders to the State and National Capitols to meet with key government leaders to discuss community economic development priority issues. The challenge: effectively communicate growth concerns and other key policy matters to key decision makers. In the four years since the BRAC recommendations were finalized, local industries and the federal government have announced approximately 19,000 new jobs in Madison County. Looking back six years that number jumps to 25,000 announced new jobs. Studies released in early April indicate that the real impact of BRAC will be approximately 20,000 new jobs to the region by the end of 2011. When combined with other growth projected for the region, and the low unemployment rate, the total population in the 13-county region surrounding Madison County is forecast to increase by 70,000 between 2008 and 2011 – with most of that growth concentrated in the Limestone, Madison and Morgan Counties. Preparing for this region’s explosive growth will require a partnership between federal, state, and local governments. “No one level of government will be in a position to resolve these issues
alone,” said Linda Maynor, vice chair of governmental affairs for the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. “That’s why it is imperative for the community to communicate with state and federal government leaders on these growth challenges.” Each trip featured important opportunities to press the case for key infrastructure improvements needed to prepare the community for the looming population surge, in addition to other programmatic support needed. The D.C. and Montgomery trips also gave community leaders an opportunity to meet with administrative and legislative officials who are instrumental in setting the agenda that makes this community’s growth possible. The Chamber’s 2009 Montgomery Trip included about 100 participants. For the first time in many years, the trip was extended to an over-night event. “The feedback from our members has been overwhelmingly in favor of the overnight stay,” Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board Chair Irma Tuder said. “By adding the additional day, we were able to meet with quite a few more agency officials and key legislators.” Feedback on the new format for the trip included comments such as: “The overnight trip allowed more time in a relaxed environment for networking with the Alabama Legislators, the Governor’s cabinet, as well as our local business leaders.” Montgomery trip speakers included Jim Main, state finance director; Bradley Byrne, chancellor of the state two year school system; Deborah Kennedy, assistant director of the legislative fiscal office; and David Perry with the law firm of Maynard, Cooper continued on page 28
L-R: Beth Martin, RBC Bank, Commissioner Ken Livingston, Morgan County Commission, and U.S. Congressman Parker Griffith enjoying a reception during the Chamber of Commerce Washington D.C. Trip.
Flags represent every country with a direct investment in Madison County. 26
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Reaching Out to Educate the World about Cummings Research Park
2009 National Space Symposium see story on page 29
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s director of the Cummings Research Park, Rick Davis is used to making presentations about the uniqueness of the park. Companies in aerospace, defense, computer science and telecommunications looking to expand into a rich technology market routinely talk with Davis about opportunities, available space in the park and more. Davis provides interested parties oral and visual presentations of the nation’s second largest research and technology park and even gives personal tours. And Davis has been requested by other communities to come and discuss the history of the park, the structure and growth of the park as other communities seek to establish comparable parks. But Davis admits he was surprised at one of his most recent requests – from Paris, France. With former French President Jacques Chirac as one of the interested observers. Davis was invited to Paris to join in a panel discussion focused on the differences in models with the various research parks in the world. The invitation was extended via Greg Deason, the incoming president of the Association of University Research Parks, whom Davis had initially met, ironically, in France in 2007 when Davis was the president Davis of the University of Purdue Research Foundation. “We were invited through AURP several years ago to a conference held in Toulouse, France that was centered on aerospace, aviation and related technology,” Davis said. “That is where Greg and I met and we have stayed in touch ever since.” Recently they were invited to France to discuss different models of research parks, related to aerospace, in France and the Americas. The event not only involved a panel discussion, but also interviews with the French media and meetings with many of the top French aerospace companies. “The panel discussion was interesting,” Davis said. “We have different ways of stimulating growth in the parks in the different countries. The French model is to specifically create what they call technipols. They seed them, nourish them and make it grow. In the U.S., certainly in Cummings Research Park, the market drives the creation of technology.” Davis reiterated that point in his comments during the panel discussion, as revealed in part of the transcript below: “Our research park is structured somewhat differently than many of those that you’ve heard about earlier. We have chosen to have a very loose structure of governance. Which is to say, very little. We prefer not to have a layer of bureaucracy that adds to the cost of doing business. “I would like to start by saying our research park was literally the seed of our first attempts at aerospace. And aerospace in Huntsville is really the birth of the American space program. That’s where all of this began back in the 1950s. And it started with the arrival of Dr. Wernher von Braun and members of his rocket program. And when they first came to Huntsville, they told our community leaders what they needed from the community to be successful. But what they needed were things like better schools for our children so that we could create the kind of workforce that would support their programs later. They told us that we needed a symphony, that we needed an opera, that we needed an art museum. And we had none of those things in 1950. Today, we have all of those things. So our community grew up around ideas that were brought to us. Davis went on to explain that the U.S. typically funds research through either private enterprise, through the university system or through the U.S. government, which is how much of the aerospace and defense research in CRP is funded. “We have a lot of engineers in Huntsville. They are the backbone of our community. And it’s that knowledge base, that intellectual capital that we have helped develop and create over the last 50 years, that has really spurred exponential growth in our knowledge-based community. One of the best French words that applies to our community is entrepreneurial. Entrepreneurship in Huntsville is part of our legacy.” A legacy that continues to drive CRP today. • John Southerland Initiatives June 2009
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Chamber Montgomery, Washington D.C. Trips Bring Community, Government Leaders Together, continued from page 26 –
& Gale, who gave a detailed account of the federal stimulus funding the state will receive. Department of Transportation Director Joe McInnes was the luncheon speaker and addressed several of the area’s key road projects.
D.C. Trip another Success
Above: Dr. Helen McAlpine, president of J.F. Drake State Technical College and Dana Moore, workforce development director for Drake, were part of the more than 150 attendees on the Chamber’s annual trip to Washington D.C. Left: Current White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs was the featured luncheon speaker on the first day of meetings at the Chamber’s 2009 Washington D.C. Trip.
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For the last 12 years, the D.C. trip has been a joint effort with the Decatur/Morgan County Chamber and the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. The combined trip is one of the largest Chamber of Commerce D.C. trips in the country and featured about 160 participants in 2009. “Our partnership with the Decatur/Morgan County Chamber and the other communities across North Alabama and Southern Tennessee is a critical ingredient to our region’s success,” said Maynor. “It has an impact when we meet with the members of our delegation and the other Congressmen and Senators.” Speakers on the 2009 trip included White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs; Secretary of the Army Pete Geren; Senators Richard Shelby, Jeff Sessions, Mitch McConnell, Saxby Chambliss, Joe Lieberman, Jim DeMent, Thad Cochran, Lamar Alexander, James Inhofe, and John Thune; Congressmen Robert Aderholt, Parker Griffith, John Tanner, Eric Cantor, Jerry Lewis, Artur Davis, and Bart Gordon; Lt. Gen. Jim Pillsbury, AMC deputy commander; Alan Ladwig, NASA senior advisor; Michael J. Eastman, executive director of labor law policy at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Patrick O’Brien, director of the Department of Defense’s Office of Economic Adjustment; James P. Gelfand, senior manager of health policy, U.S. Chamber of Commerce; Richard Alpaugh, deputy to the commanding general at the Army’s Security Assistance Command; Daphne Dador, manager, Aerospace Industries Association; and Chris Schons, public policy specialist, American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics. “This is the most impressive lineup of speakers that we’ve ever had on any of our Washington D.C. trips” Maynor noted. “We are extremely grateful to the members of our Congressional Delegation and their staffs who do the heavy lifting on the Chamber’s meetings with their colleagues” Tuder said. “We are fortunate to have members of Congress who are so well regarded that their fellow members are willing to take the time to come and visit with a group of people who aren’t constituents.” • Mike Ward
Leading the Next Race to Space
Leaders reach out to aerospace companies to attract Ares V work
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s NASA looks to build rockets and develop programs that will take humans back to the Moon and to Mars, two members of the Chamber of Commerce recently led a state economic development delegation to the National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo. to entice companies that may be slated for hardware production of the Ares V Rocket to North Alabama. The Ares V rocket will perform heavylift and cargo functions as part of the next generation NASA spacecraft that will return humans to the moon. The state-led delegation included Ala-
bama Development Office Director Neal Wade; ADO North Alabama representative and former NASA employee Bruce Anderson; North Alabama Industrial Development Association President/CEO Tate Godfrey; Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Economic Development Vice President Ethan Hadley; and Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Governmental Affairs Vice President Mike Ward. The conference was especially timely as NASA recently released requests for proposals on Ares V Trade Studies, which will help determine who will be doing the hardware continued on page 32
Illustration of the Ares V courtesy of NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center.
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AAAA: National Army Aviation Event Illustrates Continued Growth From 1995 BRAC Decisions
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hen the Madison County Commission recently released its Tennessee Valley Regional Growth Coordination Plan, much of the study was based on measuring the impact of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure decision on the region and recommendations for going forward. Major programs and commands moving to Redstone, and the associated contractor
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support, will bring thousands of jobs into the region for years to come. And if the 1995 BRAC that brought Army Aviation from St. Louis to Redstone is any indication, that growth will be 14 years and counting. In fact, as the community has already started growing from the 2005 BRAC, the reality is it is still growing from the 1995 BRAC – especially in Army aviation.
“There is significant growth in the Army’s aviation programs and budget since the 1995 BRAC,” said Joe Ritch, chairman of the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee and executive committee member for the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. “The aviation program has become by far the largest percentage of what the Army is doing at Redstone.” The Army Aviation Association of America recently illustrated this growth with one of its largest national conferences ever, held in Nashville. It was an excellent blend of government and industry coming together to illustrate capabilities, improvements, growth and support for the warfighter. Chamber vice president Ethan Hadley attended the event and met with several representatives of companies who are looking to open an office in Huntsville or to expand the Huntsville office to provide increased support to the various aviation programs managed out of Redstone. “It was a great conference. It was incredible to see the types of innovation that are occurring in Army aviation right now, from the modernization of the helicopter fleet to the innovation of the Army’s unmanned aircraft systems,” Hadley said. Many of the Army’s helicopters have recently been modernized or are about to be, including the Blackhawk, Chinook and Apache helicopters. And behind these upgrades are a government team of military and civilians and contractor teams that update based on needs assessments by the end users. For the Army, it means improved support of the warfighters. And for the community, it means jobs, job creation opportunities that grow the economy while better serving the soldiers. “It is clear that there are a number of companies that support the U.S. Army’s aviation programs that should be considering opening an office in our community to be closer to the customer,” Hadley said. “It’s also obvious that companies that are here that are supporting these programs are growing or are looking to grow. Being part of this event was very helpful because we were able to meet with these companies and discuss their growth plans and how we can help them become an even larger part of our contractor community.” • John Southerland
The Land Trust of Huntsville & North Alabama: Preserving Land, Improving Quality of Life for More than 20 Years
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nown as the oldest land trust in the state of Alabama, The Land Trust of Huntsville & North Alabama (The Land Trust) received the 2008 Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County’s Small Business Award in the Non-Profit category. Incorporated in 1987, The Land Trust started with a dedicated group of volunteer board members, an executive director and initial funding from the City of Huntsville. The Land Trust began as a result of development on the western slopes of Monte Sano Mountain. Originally named the Huntsville Land Trust, this non-profit organization broadened its reach by expanding its focus area to the 10 northernmost counties in Alabama and changed the name to The Land Trust of Huntsville & North Alabama to better reflect its new reach. Several donations of land were received in the first few years of operation. The Trust for Public Land negotiated the sale of 547 acres on Monte Sano that had been planned for development in the early days. During the next few years, land continued to be donated and occasionally purchased. The Land Trust currently holds land in five of the 10 counties including three preserves on Wade Mountain, Monte Sano Mountain and Green Mountain – each individually larger than New York City’s Central Park. In addition, The Land Trust offers more than 33 miles of trails – all designed and built by volunteers, managing nearly 6,000 acres total. Cynthia Parker, executive director of The Land Trust, is proud of the contributions the organization makes to the community in terms of quality of life. “Every day, people are understanding more and more the importance of green space preservation and its effects on our lives in terms of recreational opportunities – hiking, biking, bird watching, nature photography, and horseback riding
trails, beautiful views all around us (the back drop of Monte Sano is simply breath-taking), improved water and air quality, and wildlife corridors,” said Parker. To receive the non-profit Small Business of the Year Award means that collectively the organization earned the recognition and respect of its peers and the business community. It achieved that goal in 2008 after several nominations. According to Parker, “Others were honoring us for 21 years of accomplishments and contributions to not just Huntsville, but Madison, Madison County and North Alabama.” Looking to the future, The Land Trust hopes to see its preserved acreage approaching, if not surpassing, 10,000 acres. Additionally, officials with The Land Trust hope to build on the organization’s ability to fund the management of the properties. “We need to keep pace – and that’s
often a challenge,” Parker said. “I hope that the coming years see more and more members of our community aware of and involved in helping address the environmental issues we all are facing – I think that we are a part of the solution on many different levels.” Parker also said increasing membership and participation is critical in sustaining the organization’s ability to preserve, conserve and sustain outdoor recreational activities for the public. “I’d like to see increased membership in The Land Trust, increased participation in our events, increased corporate support and increased volunteer involvement,” continued Parker. “The green space that The Land Trust continues to preserve benefits not only all who currently enjoy it, but the generations that will follow.” • Brittany Taylor
At top: Joanne Randolph presenting the 2008 Small Business Award to Marc Byers, 2008 Board Chair of The Land Trust. Above: Today, The Land Trust owns Three caves as part of their Monte Sano Land Preserve and hiking trails. Three Caves is a popular site to visit and is a former quarry started in 1945 to mine limestone – the rock that forms Monte Sano. Initiatives June 2009
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Leading the Next Race to Space, continued from page 29 – manufacturing and where that will be done. “Obviously we think an important selling point to any company is the proximity to Marshall Space Flight Center,” Hadley said. Ward agreed. “Our message to all of the companies interested was that it is better to do your manufacturing close to Marshall because they will manage the programs and because it will be much more efficient for Marshall to facilitate engineering oversight from its development team if the company is located near the Center. It is a logical extension of Marshall’s sphere of influence in the state.” According to Hadley, the Chamber and the State targeted aerospace companies and scheduled two full days of meetings with company decision-makers while there to ensure the companies understand the value and the potential cost savings associated with doing the work near MSFC. “We strategically targeted aerospace companies that will be pursuing this work – and had two full days of meetings to specifically talk about Ares V hardware production near Marshall,” Hadley said. “Our group focused on local and regional opportuni-
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ties to leverage the authority and capabilities Marshall Space Flight Center has to attract Ares V hardware manufacturing to North Alabama.” Ward indicated that the effort began months ago to learn about MSFC’s request for Phase 1 concept definition and requirements development for the Ares V rocket. Companies can bid on five work packages that are up for solicitation, including: 1) The payload shroud that will protect the Altair lunar lander during launch; 2) The earth departure stage; 3) The core stage; 4) Avionics and software; and 5) First stage concept for an upgraded solid rocket booster. Each of these study contracts will run for 18 months with two one-year options. From this initial meeting and through subsequent contact with participating companies, the team was able to identify the teams and players, both primes and subcontractors, who would be pursuing the Ares V work. “NASA will go for the lowest cost proposal,” Hadley said. “So our job was to make sure we helped those companies identify their cost
savings associated with doing work in North Alabama.” He said that the participation of traditional economic development partners ADO and NAIDA proved invaluable. “We were able to identify and discuss available existing facilities throughout the region and available state statutory incentives as well as possible discretionary incentives that would be available depending on the size of the project,” Hadley said. “And we really got a lot of good feedback. The companies were quick to praise the aggressiveness and professionalism in our state and regional economic development efforts.” Whether companies consider the area remains to be seen, but Hadley said the community and the state would continue to pursue economic development opportunities as they relate to the mission and programs directed by MSFC. “What you do is make sure that those who make the decision have the right information and enough information to make an informed decision,” Hadley said. “And I think we certainly gave them all something to think about.” • John Southerland
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Huntsville Utilities and TVA: Providing the Fuel for Alabama’s Economic Engine
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n the band Alabama’s classic song “Song of the South,” Randy Owen sings this lyric: “Papa got a job with the TVA/ He bought a washing machine and then a Chevrolet.” That song was about a time when the country was facing its worst economic crisis in history. Today the country is facing a similar economic crisis. The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) might not be hiring like they were when it was first created in the 1930s, and people might be more likely to buy a Toyota today than a Chevrolet, but the impact that TVA is making on this region is still strong and
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with local energy company Huntsville Utilities, new and existing businesses have great partners in promoting the growth and economic vitality of this community. In this time of national economic crisis, Huntsville is faring far better than the rest of the country because of its diverse industry and partnership with economic development organizations around the region and state. Another partnership, perhaps less known but just as important, is with Huntsville Utilities and TVA. Huntsville Utilities’ motto is “Energy for the Future.” That motto could not be any
truer. The energy provider offers many services to new and existing companies that help keep their bottom lines low and their energy efficiencies high. “Most companies don’t even know the kinds of services we offer to them for free,” said Tim Walker, customer relations superintendent for Huntsville Utilities. “There are times when I will meet with a company and they will say they have paid some engineer to do an analysis. I tell them they should have called us because we do that and more for free.” These comprehensive services Huntsville Utilities and TVA provide are free and
are available any time a company needs them. As a not-for-profit organization, Walker says that one of the main goals of Huntsville Utilities is to keep costs minimal for companies. “We help new companies with such things as design layout. We might be working with a company and tell them that they should consider doing this instead of what they are already doing because it will save them money,” Walker said. “Not all utilities companies will do this, let alone for free.” William Jarboe, Huntsville Utilities contracts and industrial coordinator, says that Huntsville Utilities programs also benefit existing companies. “When we are working with existing companies, the main goal is preventative maintenance and helping to minimize costs,” Jarboe said. Among the many services Huntsville Utilities and TVA offer are infrared scanning, where an engineer will analyze and identify limits on electric systems; energy management services to find if energy is being used efficiently and how can reductions be made, and power quality studies to see if there are any spikes or fluctuations that may affect daily operations. In addition to offering free services, Huntsville Utilities partners with TVA to create incentives packages that make doing business in this region affordable. The Enhanced Growth Credit Program is available through Huntsville Utilities and TVA as an economic development incentive, providing credits on power bills to qualifying companies that locate or expand in the Tennessee Valley. “We also have Economic Development Loan Funds which provide loans to established companies relocating or expanding their operations in the Tennessee Valley,” said Butch Massey, TVA-Alabama general manager. “Funds may be used for building expansions, equipment and other purposes. Loan amounts, terms and interest rates are dependent upon criteria such as number of jobs created, total capital investment, security provided and impact on the community.” In addition to the ongoing economic de-
velopment of the area, both companies are preparing for the influx of customers attributed to the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005 recommendations. When BRAC is fully implemented by 2011, 4,700 direct jobs will move to Redstone Arsenal along with an estimated 5,000-job contractor tail. BRAC is the largest economic development advancement in the state’s history and Huntsville Utilities and TVA have been preparing for it. According to Jarboe, “We have added
several substations and upgraded miles of line for different growing subdivisions. Cummings Research Park has also been upgraded to accommodate new and expanding aerospace and defense contractors as a result of BRAC.” “We are ahead of schedule,” he said. According to Massey, BRAC has been a part of TVA’s plan for growth throughout the Tennessee Valley. “As part of our planning process, we carefully evaluate all generation options continued on page 36
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Huntsville Utilities and TVA, continued from page 35 – to meet the projected load growth for the next decade and beyond. Then we work to secure generating resources in advance of when they will be needed. A key objective in the planning process is not only to have enough power, but also to have a diverse mix of fuel and generation assets, including TVA-owned generation and Massey market purchases. BRAC, due to its size, has become a component in our plan,” Massey said. Walker is quick to remind everyone that BRAC growth is not confined to just Redstone Arsenal. “When most people think of BRAC, they think that everything is going to be on Redstone Arsenal,” said Walker. “Many of the contractors coming will also be in Cummings Research Park, not just Redstone.”
“...we offer
many services to companies for free...”
TVA in partnership with Huntsville Utilities has several green programs. Green Power Switch is a program through which businesses and consumers can help pay for renewable generation sources in the Valley. In addition, TVA offers the Generation Partners program, which allows Huntsville Utilities and TVA to purchase renewable energy from Valley customers installing renewable generation at their homes or businesses. However, the most green power is the kilo-watt hour that is not generated or used. TVA is developing and rolling out energy efficiency programs for residential, commercial and industrial customers. Huntsville Utilities is currently piloting one residential program where an energy audit is conducted and incentives are offered for implementing energy-saving actions. • Harrison Diamond
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Diatherix Faster Diagnosis Means Faster Treatment
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patient is admitted into the local hospital complaining of shortness of breath and fever. The patient is treated for what is believed to be an upper respiratory infection and standard tests are run. An antibiotic is then prescribed. The patient is still sick, in fact, the patient is getting worse. After days of being in the hospital and being prescribed a medicine that does not work, the doctors find out what the illness is – Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS). That was a typical scenario in China and Asia during the outbreak of SARS earlier this decade. The slow testing procedures that were the norm were contributing to delayed, and, in most cases, inaccurate diagnoses and the spread of SARS. In only six weeks, a scientist by the name of Jian Han, now of Huntsville’s HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology and Huntsvillebased genetics company Diatherix, was able to develop a procedure to not only identify
if a patient had SARS or not, but also able to indicate what medications would work best. “Have you ever heard of nanotechnology?” asks Dennis Grimaud, Diatherix chairman and CEO. “What we are doing is nanobiology.” The technology, Target Enriched Multiplex Polymerase Chain Reaction (Tem-PCR), is a platform upon which up to 25 pathogens can be identified in a single test and in only a matter of hours. Han invented the process while he was with his own start-up genetics company Genaco. Genaco was purchased by German-based Qiagen, but Grimaud was allowed to license the technology to continue research and develop a laboratory. The licensing agreement with Qiagen resulted in Diatherix. What makes Han’s innovation so unique is that his is the only test on the market that analyzes both viruses and bacteria in a single sample. Analyzing those two components is a critical step in the proper diagnosis and treatment of diseases, according to Grimaud.
Patient samples are taken to this lab area where beads the size of red blood cells and a special reagent are used to separate different molecules. A special laser reveals certain colors that signify what genetic targets are present.
“You don’t always need a Z-Pak as a treatment for illness. We are seeing more and more resistance to drugs [because of incorrect prescriptions]. We need the ability and the flexibility of earlier and more appropriate therapy,” Grimaud said. Han The Huntsville company is using that technology in its CLIA-certified lab. CLIA (Clinical Laboratory Improvement Amendment) is the Centers for Medicaid and Medicare Services’ laboratory equivalent to the FDA. According to Grimaud, that was a major step in the company’s growth. Diatherix is currently using Han’s technology to discover molecular linkages to several different diseases. The day after Madison County announced there were possible cases of swine flu (H1N1 Virus) in the area, Alabama Governor Bob Riley made a phone call to Han and Diatherix about what could be done to prevent the spread of the disease. Diatherix immediately started working on a test to properly identify the disease. The very next week Han completed the development of a rapid response, molecular-level test for H1N1 capable of differentiating it from more common versions of the flu such as Influenza A or Influenza B. “Since the Diatherix test allows physicians to quickly differentiate between swine flu patients and those who have similar symptoms, patients can be provided proper antiviral therapy in a more timely manner,” Grimaud said. He added that a rapid confirmation could also mitigate many of the negative economic and social impacts associated with infectious disease outbreaks. “For example, if in 24 hours or less we can verify that a suspected student was not infected with the continued on page 41 Initiatives June 2009
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Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
Staff 2009 Brian Hilson, president & CEO John Southerland, communications director Kristi Sherrard, graphic designer Laura Kendrick, executive assistant
Economic Development Ethan Hadley, VP, economic development Steve Finnell, director, industrial development/ existing industry
Rick Davis, director, Cummings Research Park Harrison Diamond, economic development coordinator
Amy Locke, industrial development/existing industry assistant
Governmental Affairs Mike Ward, VP, governmental affairs Tina Leopold, governmental affairs assistant
Workforce Lucia Cape, VP, workforce Mark Brown, director, workforce recruitment Mitzi Floyd, workforce coordinator
Investor Relations Loren Traylor, VP, investor relations Jenni Jeffers, director, small business/membership services
Terrie Ledbetter, membership sales representative Donna McCrary, investor relations specialist Brittany Taylor, events coordinator
Research & Information Services Ken Smith, director, research & information services
Hiroko Sedensky, web designer/research specialist
Finance & Administration Christy Nalley, director, finance & administration Jamie Gallien, IT manager Debbie Olivares, accounting specialist Cassie Scott, accounting specialist Joe Watson, facilities supervisor
Associated Organizations Leadership Huntsville/Madison County Small Business Development Center Alabama A&M University, UAHuntsville WBCNA (Women’s Business Center of North Alabama)
Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County 225 Church Street, Huntsville, AL 35801 phone 256-535-2000 / fax 256-535-2015 www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com 38
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Bridges Huntsville/Madison County is a professional and social development program for co-ops, interns and recent college graduates sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. Above, participants in Bridges Class 7 go through team building exercises.
Reaching the Workforce Demand for Talent, Skill Creates Innovative Recruitment Efforts by Local Companies
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ven with unemployment edging upward, talent is in high demand in Huntsville/ Madison County. A survey of members of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/ Madison County in January revealed that most would maintain or increase their recruitment efforts in 2009. With increasing numbers of jobs and people moving into the community in 2010 and 2011 as a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure activity, smart companies are preparing for a tight labor market by adopting innovative recruiting and retention practices and taking advantage of the Chamber’s workforce services. Two companies in particular are taking noticeable steps to attract and keep top talent from across the country. Both Booz Allen Hamilton (BAH) and Teledyne Brown Engineering have been regular participants in Chamber workforce recruitment events and have actively participated in the Bridges program – a professional and social development program for co-ops, interns and recent college graduates sponsored by the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. The Bridges program is designed to help young, entry-level professionals bridge the gap between school and career while learning more about living, working and playing in Huntsville/Madison County. Both companies have used the program
to help their new employees make personal, professional and social connections that will keep them in the Huntsville/Madison County community. And for both companies, their efforts are paying off as each was named one of Huntsville/Madison County’s Best Places to Work in 2009 based on employee surveys. BAH opened its Huntsville office in 1986 with a staff of 55. The company now employs 228 with most of the new employees hired within the last three years, according to Will Bronaugh of Precipio, a recruitment consultant retained by the company. BAH is wellknown for its employee-centric approach to business. It takes great care in selecting and grooming the best people – from college “fresh outs” to BAH retirees – and rewarding them with meaningful work in a supportive environment. According to Bronaugh, though, hiring a specialist is no magic bullet. “It takes multiple sourcing channels, branding and a great deal of resources to attract the best talent,” says Bronaugh. “Firms that operate and run successful recruiting programs focus a great deal of time, resources and money on them. Booz Allen is no exception.” “Booz Allen believes that offering competitive benefits and compensation, flexible work arrangements, and a good work environment and taking care of employees help the firm to continued on page 40 Initiatives June 2009
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Reaching the Workforce, continued from page 39 – be an employer of choice in Huntsville. The combination of the firm’s reputation and our recruiting strategies helps us attract the best talent,” says Bronaugh. BAH has also taken full advantage of the Chamber’s recruitment and retention programs. The Chamber’s work has made it easier to attract and sell candidates on the idea of coming to work and living in North Alabama. “The Chamber has been a good supporter for local businesses in
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terms of helping to connect a workforce outside of Huntsville to local employers,” says Bronaugh. “The more people understand the strength of our economy and the great careers that are available here, the easier it is to attract the current and future workforce.” Part of our economic strength rests with local companies such as Teledyne Brown Engineering that have become major national players in aerospace and defense. But even successful companies see opportunities to
improve. Teledyne Brown has made recent changes that have strengthened its ability to attract and retain top talent. “First, Teledyne Brown is a dynamic company,” says Rex Geveden, president. “We are growing rapidly by expanding our business into new markets such as nuclear energy and increasing business in existing markets such as civil space and missile defense. So we have great work to offer people. Second, we’ve worked on our image. We hired two very talented full-time recruiters, Louis Whitlow and Renee Richardson, and they make a great first impression with recruits.” “Last year we hired 483 employees,” says Whitlow. “As we showed job candidates our employee-focused programs and policies, they realized that this would be a great place to work.” Like BAH, Teledyne Brown has participated in the Chamber’s Smart Place on the Road recruiting events and has used the Bridges program to help socially and professionally integrate young professionals into the community – one of the biggest challenges in keeping young professionals in Huntsville/Madison County. Teledyne Brown hosted the last Bridges class and also served as a sponsor. Geveden addressed the students, as did Craig Seaborne, vice president, business development. “Retention is extremely important to us,” says Whitlow. “Attracting good people is one issue; the other is keeping them.” Recognizing the importance of work environment, Teledyne Brown has invested heavily in remodeling its facilities and promoting wellness through a cash-incentive exercise program. There is also a focus on work/life balance, a major concern for young professionals entering the workforce. When asked what would help their efforts, Whitlow says, “More national exposure. We’re doing great now, but we would like to attract more potential employees from the northern, eastern and western regions of the United States.” And how can the Chamber help? “The Chamber is doing a fantastic job of selling the Huntsville area to residents outside of Alabama and educating current employees about the benefits of making their home in Huntsville. Keep up the good work,” said Whitlow. • Lucia Cape
Diatherix, continued from page 37 – H1N1 virus, we can prevent a school district from closing.” Because the virus is capable of mutating, Han developed four targets at the molecular level that make diagnosing more accurate, even if the virus mutates. Diatherix is currently making the test available to hospitals, private physician practices and public health departments. Patient samples for the viral respiratory panel are taken from a nasal swab. “I have been in this business a long time and I have never worked with a better scientist,” Grimaud said about Han. The company is doing much more than just identifying diseases and recommending proper remedies. Diatherix is also on the verge of discovering how viruses can cause cancer. Human Papillomavirus (HPV) has been shown as a link to cervical cancer, but Diatherix has found that the presence of HPV is being attributed to other cancers such as those of the head and neck.
“Huntsville is
becoming the destination for people in genetics.”
“A real problem that many genomics companies are having is finding the workforce. As I grow my company over the next years, where do I find my workforce? I don’t have to worry about that here because HudsonAlpha is having that type of reach.” “Huntsville is becoming a destination for peoDennis Grimaud, chairman and CEO of Diatherix, discusses the breakthrough testing ple in genetics.” his company has developed. Diatherix is continuing billions. As of October 2008, Medicare and to grow. The company grew by 10 people in Medicaid no longer cover hospital-acquired 2008 and could add more researchers this year. diseases. Grimaud sees Diatherix’s services Grimaud sees the potential for the service to for hospitals as a “revenue preserver,” but gain wider popularity because it is a cost saver. more importantly, it is providing better care “You are seen as a cost so you have to show to patients. the benefits that you offer. That benefit is that “By 9 a.m. we will have samples from paour test is accurate and leads to proper thertients in the hospital and by 3 p.m. we will apy and we reduce costs. We approach the have results ready and the patient can then marketing of our service not by sales but by be given a new medication if it is needed.” relationships.” • Harrison Diamond That cost saving measure is actually in the
“We are seeing the connection between viruses and cancer,” Grimaud said. “Another virus we are investigating is Cytomeglovirus. We are finding connections.” Grimaud sees the work Diatherix is doing as changing the way healthcare policy is implemented in this country. “The U.S. Government will change healthcare in this country. I don’t know if I want it changed their way. The way we see the change is making proper diagnoses leading to proper treatment and lowering the cost of care,” Grimaud said. “We talk a lot about managed care in this country. What we are really talking about is managed costs.” Diatherix is committed to the goals of HudsonAlpha in providing educational resources as well as spurring economic development. Grimaud says that his location in HudsonAlpha is a definite advantage because of the access to scientists and the outreach the institute is doing to educate the next generation of scientists. Initiatives June 2009
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Taking the Tennessee Valley to Tuscaloosa Chamber visits University of Alabama to tout jobs
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More than 100 students attended a reception at the University of Alabama to learn about engineering and business jobs available in Huntsville.
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he Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/ Madison County led a group of young professionals and volunteers to Tuscaloosa to inform engineering and business students about the many opportunities for employment in Huntsville as a result of the Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 2005 recommendations and continued economic growth. According to a study released by the Madison County Commission, there will be an estimated 30,000 new jobs in the area available within the next few years. Engineering and business majors were selected as the target audience because those students will have the necessary skill-set needed to fill those jobs. The idea to have Huntsville jobs presented to UA students came from a discussion between Joe Ritch and UA president Robert Witt. Witt told Ritch, a Chamber board member and UA System Trustee, that he felt students lacked a knowledge of the jobs in Huntsville. Ritch, who serves as chairman of the TVBRAC Committee, facilitated the two-day event. “It is critical that we fill not only the jobs that are currently available in our region, but those that will be available over the next five years,” Ritch said. “Meeting with engineering and business students at local, state and regional colleges and universities and informing them about the career opportunities they will have in our community when they graduate is a vitally important part of our workforce recruitment and development efforts to fill the jobs with the best and brightest.” The group visited classes ranging from freshman engineering to senior-level marketing, finance and management classes. In addition to the classroom presentations, a special reception was held for UA students and faculty. Ronnie Chronister, deputy to the commanding general of AMCOM and UA graduate, was the keynote speaker at the event. Chronister said that there are numerous jobs available in government for not only engineers, but also business graduates and others. He also gave career advise to interested students. The delegation also discussed the importance of co-oping and interning and the many continued on page 48
Tuesday, June 9
Tuesday, June 16
Friday, June 19
Army Birthday Celebration RSA Officer Club
7:00 p.m. – U.S. Army Soldier Show Von Braun Center Concert Hall
AUSA Golf Tournament
*Tickets available: June 2 – MWR Redstone Arsenal June 9 – Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
Contact: Mike Kelly – michael_kelley@raytheon.com
Contact: Donna Palumbo – dapal@bellsouth.net
Saturday, June 13 AUSA Buyout of the Huntsville Stars Joe Davis Stadium
Contact: Tina Leopold – tleopold@hsvchamber.org
Contact: Bob Whiteford – (256) 721-1111
Wednesday, June 17
Monday, June 15
3:00 p.m. – U.S. Army Soldier Show* Von Braun Center Concert Hall
9:30 a.m. Proclamation Signing Ceremony Contact: Tina Leopold – tleopold@hsvchamber.org
11:00 a.m. NCO/Soldier of the Year Award Luncheon Contact: Sharee Miller – sharee.miller@us.army.mil
Contact: Tina Leopold – tleopold@hsvchamber.org
5:00 -10:30 p.m. Armed Forces Salute Dinner Von Braun Center North Hall Scheduled keynote speaker: General Peter W. Chiarelli Contact: Angie Wooten – angela.j.wooten@boeing.com
6:30-9:30 p.m. Concert in the Park Joe Davis Stadium
7:00 p.m. – U.S. Army Soldier Show* Von Braun Center Concert Hall
Emcee: FISH Warm-up Band: Juice 129th Army Band and Fireworks
Thursday, June 18
Contact: Tina Leopold – tleopold@hsvchamber.org
Contact: Tina Leopold – tleopold@hsvchamber.org
1:00 p.m. – Army Community Services Open House, Bldg 3888
AFC sponsors include:
Contact: Sharee Miller – sharee.miller@us.army.mil
Redstone Golf Course
Saturday, June 20 7:00 p.m. – AUSA Viper Military Appreciation Night, VBC Arena Contact: Bob Whiteford – (256) 721-1111 Additional Events/Venues U.S. Space & Rocket Center – All military and their immediate family - Museum admission free of charge for the week of June 13 -21. IMAX movie additional cost of $8 adults, $7 children. Huntsville Botanical Garden – Free Admission to military ID card holders. Burritt on the Mountain – Free admission for Military ID holders that week. There also will be a special Redstone Exhibit in the Burritt Mansion. EarlyWorks Museum – Free Admission to military ID card holders for the week of June 13 -21. Huntsville Museum of Art – All Active Duty Military personnel and their families will be admitted free of charge with proper ID and their families during AFC Week. Sci-Quest, the North Alabama Science Center, Inc. – One half off regular admission for military ID card holders. Veterans Memorial Museum – Free to Active Military ID Card holders- discount for retired military and family members. – Schedule subject to change.
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Report Card Time Huntsville/Madison County: A+ in Job Creation Competition
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ince its establishment in 1894, the primary mission of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County has been to prepare, develop and promote the community for economic growth. Today, this mission is guided by the Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative (HREGI) which was created in 2004 and is comprised of several key strategies designed to grow the local economy and measure that growth. HREGI enables the community to effectively compete in the global marketplace and support strong economic expansion and enhancement of the community’s quality of life. Through the efforts of community leaders and partnerships with local, state and
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federal officials, HREGI has proven to be successful in continuing to grow the economy and to enable Huntsville and the surrounding area to be recognized nationally as a city on the move in weak economic times. The strategies of HREGI include working with local businesses to address their growth and expansion needs; recruiting targeted industries; protecting and growing the aerospace and defense industry; developing capacity for new and sustained economic growth; developing and recruiting a skilled workforce; enhancing the community’s image; and remaining accountable to our stakeholders. Recently at the Third Annual Economic
Development Summit, Chamber leaders unveiled the results of the official 2008 New and Expanding Industry Report and the economic development “score card” in relation to other communities in Alabama and peer cities nationally. “Consistent with previous years in 2008, Madison County led Alabama by announcing more jobs from new and expanding employers than any other county. Huntsville/Madison County’s principal business sectors, engineering services, science and technology, and manufacturing accounted for 3,811 announced additional jobs, marking 16 of the last 19 years that Madison County has led the state in announced jobs,” said Chamber President/CEO Brian Hilson. According to Hilson, at times when the global economy is performing well it is important that local economic development organization take advantage of opportunities to grow their communities. However, during times of a weak economy, the importance of local economic growth is even greater. Have no doubts that the Huntsville area economy is growing at a steady pace. With recent recognition from Forbes as One of the “Top 5 Cities for Defense Jobs” and One of Forbes’ “Leading Cities for Business”, the roadmap that community leaders are following is working. The 2008 New and Expanding Industry Report showed that gains in technology employment helped the Huntsville metro area add nearly half of the state of Alabama’s total net new jobs since 2000. In 2008, there were 155 total economic development projects, including 12 new companies to the community. Since 2000, more than 29,000 new workers have been added to the local payroll and the metro employment growth rate of 15.8 percent is four times the U.S. average. The
Huntsville area economy is comprised of a strong technology and professional service job base that also is continuing to grow. This sector grew by more than 41.7 percent in the same eight year period, adding a total of 13,900 new workers. Additionally since 2000, the two-county metro area made up of Madison and Limestone Counties added more than 51,000 new residents for an average population growth of 15.1 percent which was more than twice the rate of the rest of Alabama and nearly double the rate of the U.S. as a whole. “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 Ron Poteat, vice-chair of investor relations, “We are presenting our plan and its results to our membership in order to keep our commitment to being held accountable to our investors.” Companies with local operations are taking notice and know that these results would not be possible without the active engagement and support of the entire community. Currently, there are more than 180 local public and private entities and companies that understand the importance of investing in HREGI and the number keeps rising. At a recent meeting, Lt. Gen. (retired) Mark Curran, L-3 Communications, presented a check for $10,000 to the Chamber in support of HREGI. “We at L-3 value Huntsville as a place to support customers, and further development of Huntsville is vitally important to us in our efforts to expand our business and to offer our employees a great community to live and work,” said Curran. Other new HREGI investors include Breland Homes and Investor’s Resource/ Raymond James Financial Services. But, the best is yet to come. With 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 the 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 Poteat. • Loren Traylor
Mark Curran, right, of L-3 makes a recent investment into the Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative during this check presentation to Ron Poteat, vice chair of Investor Relations for the Chamber. Companies and organizations that invest in HREGI are partnering with the Chamber to help prepare and market the community as well as helping recruit and develop the workforce to fill available jobs in the community.
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Taking the Tennessee Valley to Tuscaloosa, continued from page 44 –
Ronnie Chronister, deputy to the commanding general of the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command, was the keynote speaker at the reception.
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opportunities that Huntsville offers were also discussed. “We were able to reach a lot of students with the message about jobs in our community and the message about co-oping and interning to get the advantage for regular, full-time employment,” said Lucia Cape, vice president for workforce at the Chamber. Trips to colleges and universities are just some of the ways the Chamber is actively recruiting new employees to the area. Loren Traylor, vice president for investor relations at
the Chamber and executive director of the TVBRAC Committee, said that the first-ever trip geared toward business and engineering students in a classroom setting is just one new way of reaching the area’s new workforce. “We were very impressed with the quality of students and their interest in finding out more information about the diverse career opportunities available in our community. With tens of thousands of potential jobs being created in the next four years, it is imperative that we find creative ways to fill these positions,” said Traylor. Kyle Scott, a junior majoring in aerospace engineering from Crystal Lake, Ill., was among the many students the group met with and discussed opportunities. Scott, who is also the president of the Ambassadors for the College of Engineering (ACES), said that the event was quite informative with substantial information. “I was impressed with the reception and very impressed that Ronnie Chronister came down,” said Scott. “They sent down people who could really make a difference. They didn’t just send people that said ‘Huntsville is cool.’ They sent people down with a vested interest in the community who could really make a difference and explain to us the opportunities available.” According to Scott, he and several of his friends were able to make contacts and even begin the process of finding jobs. “After I talked with Mr. Chronister, he gave me a phone number and a contact that has since followed up with me about possible employment in unmanned aerial vehicles. It really opened up new contacts,” he said. “Many of the ACES are already getting phone calls about jobs.” The best indicator of success for an event such as this is the amount of people now interested in Huntsville as a place to be for jobs. Scott and many of his friends and fellow ACES are looking to Huntsville as a real possibility for life after college. “I was already considering Huntsville before the trip. Now I am even more intrigued by Huntsville. This truly is a once-in-a-generation opportunity to be a part of a community with such a low cost of living and a high influx of jobs,” he said. “I talked with several people after the event. They were very impressed with Huntsville, especially all the brain power that Huntsville has produced.” • Harrison Diamond
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