Initiatives magazine, December 2010

The Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative (HREGI) – Special Thanks to Our Investors Initiatives December 2010

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December 2010 Initiatives

Initiatives December 2010

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Thanks to Our Investors Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County

Development Partner ($200,000+ invested annually: public sector)

City of Huntsville Development Council

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

Huntsville Utilities Tennessee Valley Authority Madison County Commission Huntsville Hospital City of Madison Huntsville-Madison County Airport Authority

Chairman’s Council ($50,000+ invested: private sector)

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Inc. Regions Bank

President’s Circle ($25,000 - $49,999 invested annually)

The Huntsville Times Redstone Federal Credit Union ADTRAN, Inc. AT&T SAIC 4

Verizon Wireless December 2010 Initiatives

Chamber Trustees

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

BBVA Compass COLSA Corporation LG Electronics Alabama, Inc. The Boeing Company Lamar Outdoor Advertising, Inc. CINRAM, Inc. Emerson Network Products North Alabama Multiple Listing Service Huntsville Madison County Builders Association, Inc. Lockheed Martin Corporation Agility Defense & Government Services Beason & Nalley, Inc. Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama

Progress Partners

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

Jerry Damson Honda Acura J. Smith Lanier & Co. First Commercial Bank The Orthopaedic Center Intuitive Research & Technology Corporation Samples Properties, Inc. ERC, Inc. AEgis Technologies Group, Inc. Applied Data Trends, Inc. BAE Systems BASF Catalysts, LLC BB&T Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP Coldwell Banker Commercial McLain Real Estate Colonial Properties Trust

Progress Investors

Booz Allen Hamilton Breland Companies Camber Corporation Cobham Analytic Solutions Continental AG Crestwood Medical Center Intergraph Corporation L3 Communications Corp. Headquarters Look Outdoor Advertising, Inc. Parsons Corporation SES, Inc. SportsMed Orthopaedic Surgery and Spine Center Wells Fargo Bank

Consolidated Construction Company Dynetics Enfinger Steele Development, Inc. Keystone Foods, LLC Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne, P.C. Navistar Diesel of Alabama, LLC Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc. Sirote & Permutt, P.C. Superior Bank S3, Inc. Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. Turner Universal Construction URS Corporation WAFF-TV Wilmer & Lee, P.A. Yellow Book USA

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

Woody Anderson Ford Radiance Technologies, Inc. Torch Technologies Baron Services, Inc. Burger King - Wesfam Restaurants, Inc. Fountain, Parker, Harbarger & Associates LLC Inergi Northrop Grumman Corporation QinetiQ North America 4SITE, Incorporated Analytical Services, Inc. Averbuch Realty Co., Inc. - Scott Averbuch Bama Jammer, Inc. BancorpSouth Belzon, Inc. BFA Systems, Inc. BID Designs, LLC BlueCreek Investment Partners Brown Precision, Inc. Bryant Bank Century Automotive Cerqa, a division of Beacon Printing & Graphics, Inc. Chapman Sisson Architects, Inc. Cintas Corporation

Decisive Analytics Corporation Decosimo Certified Public Accountants DESE Research, Inc. Digium, Inc. DHS SYSTEMS, LLC (DRASH) DRS Test & Energy Management, LLC FITE Building Co., Inc. Garber Construction Co., Inc. Hardin-Junkin & Company Wealth Solutions Huntsville Tractor & Equipment, Inc. Investor’s Resource/Raymond James Financial Services KPS Group Kudzu Productions, Inc. Lamb Commercial Services, Inc. Marriott Huntsville Parker Hannifin Corporation Progress Bank QTEC, Inc. Qualis Corporation Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Hampton Cove ServisFirst Bank UBS Huntsville Wealth Management Group United Space Alliance, LLC Woodland Homes of Huntsville

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December 2010 Initiatives

initiatives

Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County

december 2010

Bridge Street Town Centre in Cummings Research Park

lead story

Dynetics to build New HighTech Manufacturing Facility at Cummings Research Park Campus pages 22-23

features Economic Development Highlights

Huntsville Botanical Garden’s Annual Galaxy of Lights

including Irving Burton Associates, PALCO, PPG, MJLM Engineering & Technical Services, Summit 7 Systems, i3, Auburn University, WaveLink, Fountain Parker Harbarger & Associates

Huntsville Havoc – affiliated with the Southern Professional Hockey League

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 nation, 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.

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 main line: 256.535.2000 fax: 256.535.2015

online www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com www.asmartplace.com

fyi

Submissions for editorial content are not accepted. Information in this and other Chamber publications is at the discretion of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. Advertising inquiries go through The Huntsville Times.

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Workshops: Tools for Workforce

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The Strength of HREGI

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Photos used on the cover are also inside beginning on page 18 showing company affiliations. The photos included were submitted by print deadline.

Editorial: Happy 50th Marshall!

Preparing to Launch Small Businesses

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developments HREGI Investors Listing Chamber Board Listing Employee of the Quarter Growth Through Networking Chamber Staff Listing Community Profile 2011 Annual Membership Meeting

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editorial staff

Publisher Brian Hilson Executive Editor John Southerland

Editorial Designer Kristi Sherrard ontributing Writers Mark Brown, Ed Buckbee, C Lucia Cape, Harrison Diamond, John Southerland and Loren Traylor

Photography Chamber of Commerce staff, events & publications

Advertising Sales Ray Johnson The Huntsville Times Initiatives December 2010

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Chamber of Commerce

Board of Directors and Executive Committee 2010 Executive Committee

Dear Chamber of Commerce Investors, Community Leaders and Friends: It’s a good bet that most people haven’t given much thought to the “Economic Life Cycle” of a community. A local economic life cycle is a process that involves such activities as growth planning, community development and preparation, leadership engagement, marketing, economic development success, announcements and recognitions, followed by more planning, more preparation, etc. For Huntsville and Madison County, this cycle of economic development has been ongoing for many years, and it has involved many different people and activities. Central to this work for many years, and today, is the economic development team staffed and coordinated by the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County.

The Chamber is our community’s lead organization for economic development. It develops and maintains the community’s blueprint for economic growth, it implements the daily economic development process, and coordinates a broad spectrum of individual leaders and organizations to make certain that the economic development process, or the economic life cycle, is both complete and successful.

One of the lead articles of this edition of Initiatives focuses on the Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative, the short- and long-term economic development plan which was developed by the Chamber and has been recognized as our community’s economic growth strategy. HREGI is by no means our community’s first economic growth plan.

For years, the Chamber followed the process adopted by most local/regional economic development organizations around the country, which was to develop a strategy, solicit local funding support for it, execute the plan over a four- to five-year period, and then repeat the same process, over and over again. In 2003, Chamber leaders recognized that it would be much more effective to maintain a longer-term strategy that is updated annually, and that’s exactly what stimulated the planning and implementation of the Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative. Developed in 2003 and first implemented in 2004, HREGI is central to the overall strategic plan of the Chamber of Commerce. It includes an increased emphasis on public and private sector financial support, ongoing investor relations with supporters of HREGI, and economic development benchmarks which help identify how Huntsville and Madison County’s achievements compare with other key metro areas.

The plan also includes a more proactive and organized approach to targeted economic development marketing. In its seven years of implementation, local economic development growth has essentially doubled the original announced jobs and capital investment goals, and Huntsville/Madison County has achieved unprecedented rankings and recognitions.

One of the stellar economic development announcements made in our community in recent years was a plan for a $50 million, 350-employee new facility for Dynetics in Cummings Research Park. The current national economic downturn has impacted local economic growth in Huntsville and metropolitan areas throughout the country – no doubt about that. Regardless of the national economy, it is important that our community have a resultsoriented plan, and that we stick to that plan, so that Dynetics, BRAC and many other successes that create job opportunities can continue.

If you and your company are already investing in the Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative, we thank you for your support. We thank you for recognizing that your investment in HREGI truly is an investment in our community’s future, and will be of direct benefit to you and your company. If you’re not already a HREGI investor, or a member of the Chamber of Commerce, we invite you to contact us and let us share with you how HREGI and the Chamber can benefit you.

Brian Hilson President & CEO Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County 8

December 2010 Initiatives

Don Nalley, Chair, Beason & Nalley Charlie Kettle, Chair-Elect, First Commercial Bank Irma Tuder, Immediate Past Chair, Analytical Services Tommy Beason, Chamber Foundation Chair, consultant Ron Poteat, Secretary/Treasurer, Regions Bank Jim Bolte, Vice Chair - Economic Dev., Toyota Motor Manufacturing Ala. Joe Alexander, Vice Chair - Governmental Affairs, Camber Corporation Jan Smith, Vice Chair - Investor Relations, S3 Jeremiah Knight, Vice Chair - Workforce, Verizon Wireless Danny Windham, Vice Chair - Small Business, Digium Robert Mayes, Vice Chair - Research & Info. Svs., BlueCreek Investment Angie McCarter, Vice Chair - Image Development, Davidson Technologies Mayor Tommy Battle, Chair-Appointed, City of Huntsville Chairman Mike Gillespie, Chair-Appointed, Madison Co. Commission Elizabeth Morard, Chair-Appointed, Qualis Corporation Joe Ritch, Chair-Appointed, Sirote & Permutt Brian Hilson, President/CEO, Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison Co. Elected Board

Cynthia Achorn, ASRC Federal Rose Allen, Booz Allen Hamilton Rey Almodóvar, Intuitive Research & Technology Corporation Clayton Bass, Huntsville Museum of Art Penny Billings, BancorpSouth Greg Bragg, Consolidated Construction Company Everett Brooks, Consultant Micah Bullard, Turner Universal Construction Frank Caprio, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings Tracy Doughty, Huntsville Hospital John Eagan, Wells Fargo Kerry Fehrenbach, Intergraph Corporation Elizabeth Dotts Fleming, Public FA Ron Gray, Gray Research Jeff Hamilton, The Orthopaedic Center John Holly, Lockheed Martin Corporation Dr. Pam Hudson, Crestwood Medical Center Dr. Andrew Hugine, Alabama A&M University Tony Jones, The Boeing Company Simon Kim, LG Electronics Alabama Frederick Lanier, J. Smith Lanier & Co. John McMullan, BancorpSouth Dan Montgomery, Strategic Defense Solutions Caroline Myers, Foreign Language Services Joe Newberry, Redstone Federal Credit Union Jim Owens, BBVA Compass Tony Palumbo Crystal Shell, WILL Technology Dr. Ashok Singhal, CFD Research Corporation Todd Slyman, Village of Providence Keith Smith, SAIC Dr. O’Neal Smitherman, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology Tom Stanton, ADTRAN Al Sullivan, Alpha Beta Technologies, Inc. Dr. Dave Williams, UAHuntsville Dr. Ernie Wu, ERC

Initiatives December 2010

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY

Milken Institute Recognition Gives Huntsville Another Top-5 National Ranking The Milken Institute, an independent economic think tank, recently ranked Huntsville the third best performing metro in the nation in its 2010 list of best performing cities.

Huntsville jumped five spots from last year’s ranking of eight.

Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board Chairman Don Nalley said the recognition is significant in the Chamber’s economic development and workforce recruitment efforts.

“Not everyone is seeing every ranking or recognition that our community is receiving,” Nalley said. “But it is apparent that many of our targeted industries or potential workforce candidates from other parts of the country are seeing some of these rankings. This Milken Institute recognition is another top five ranking that illustrates that our local economy remains one of the best in the United States.

Increasingly we see companies approaching us wanting more information about expanding into our community – because of some ranking or recognition such as this one that they may have seen.”

The Best-Performing Cities index was designed to measure objectively which U.S. metropolitan areas are most successful in terms of job creation and retention, the quality of jobs being produced and overall economic performance.

Specifically, it pinpoints where jobs are being created and maintained, where wages and salaries are increasing, and where economies and businesses are growing and thriving.

“Our city is on an unprecedented roll in receiving national recognition. Rankings like these give us a quick gauge of where we stand as a city, not just in our state, but nationally. Huntsville has a strong economy, a diverse workforce and a growing job base. When those factors combine with an incredible quality of life, it’s hard to find a better city than ours,” Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said. “We are proud of our rising place on the Milken Institute’s ‘Best Performing Cities’ list and thankful for our local businesses, employers and residents for the work they do in getting us there.”

The report cites the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) decision that is bringing more than 4,600 jobs to Huntsville and a high-tech economy as reasons for Huntsville’s high ranking.

“Huntsville is benefiting from base consolidation decisions made in 2005 but adds high-tech to the mix of reasons it is a consistent performer. Redstone Arsenal is home to NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, the Missile Defense Agency, and more than 60 government agencies and organizations with more than $50 billion in total annual budgets. Slightly more than half of the 35,000 people who work behind the Redstone Arsenal’s gates every day are civilian government employees, and the remainder are government contractors,” the report states.

The report continues its analysis of the community’s economy by saying: “Boeing, Northrop Grumman, and 10

December 2010 Initiatives

Lockheed Martin all have a major presence and spawn thousands of jobs in other industries. Huntsville is reported to have the nation’s highest concentration of engineers per capita. Excluding federal, state, and local government, three of the top five private-sector industries are high-tech services.”

The Top 10 included: 1. Killeen-Temple-Fort Hood, TX 2. Austin-Round Rock, TX

3. Huntsville, AL 4. McAllen-Edinburg-Mission, TX 5. Kennewick-Richland-Pasco, WA 6. Washington-Arlington-Alexandria, DC-VA-MD-WV* 7. Raleigh-Cary, NC 8. Anchorage, AK 9. El Paso, TX 10. Houston-Sugar Land-Baytown, TX •

~ continued on page 13

Huntsville Metro Named 7th Most Attractive Investment Location The Huntsville Metro area was recently selected the 7th most attractive metro region for “Attractive Investment Locations” in the September edition of Area Development magazine.

The significance of the recognition is that the magazine is targeted to site selection consultants around the nation – those organizations that help companies make decisions on where to locate or expand their operations, according to Brian Hilson, President and CEO of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County.

“We talk a lot about our rankings because our community has received a number of top rankings and recognitions for its growing economy over the past several years,” Hilson said. “The rankings are a nice way to highlight what a lot of people here already know – this really is a great place to live, work and play. And this particular ranking is significant to us because of who the audience is and the fact that the other metros listed in the ranking are much larger, major metro areas than ours, so we are in great company.”

Hilson shared the information at a recent meeting with investors in the Chamber’s Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative (HREGI).

The results were based on the magazine’s survey of site consultants to find out which states and metro areas would be the best for businesses.

The survey asked consultants to name their top 10 state choices for meeting eight site selection criteria: Lowest business costs, most business friendly, corporate tax environment, overall labor climate, workforce development programs, fast-track permitting, rail and highway accessibility, and shovel-ready sites.

Alabama ranked fourth overall, behind Tennessee, Texas and South Carolina. The 10 metro regions most-named as attractive investment locations were: 1. Metro Dallas, Texas 2. Metro Atlanta, Georgia 3. Metro Charlotte, North Carolina 4. Metro Houston, Texas 5. Greater Indianapolis, Indiana 6. Metro St. Louis, Missouri 7. Huntsville, Alabama 8. Charleston, South Carolina 9. Greenville-Spartanburg, South Carolina 10. Oklahoma City, Oklahoma • Initiatives December 2010

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS continued from page 11

IBA Announces Company Growth in Huntsville

Madison Mayor Paul Finley joins Edwina Musante, IBA director of Huntsville operations, and Anna Ryan, President and CEO of IBA, in cutting the ribbon for IBA’s continued growth in Huntsville.

Huntsville Company’s Logistics Expertise Earns European Business PALCO, a company that provides reverse logistics, failure analysis, and aftermarket services, recently expanded into Europe with its newest facility located near Amsterdam in Venlo, The Netherlands.

PALCO will support global OEMs in the Europe, Middle East and Africa regions (EMA) who have turned to PALCO as an expert in reverse logistics.

“This expansion reflects PALCO’s continued commitment to customers’ reverse logistics requirements and PALCO’s services deployment strategy,” said PALCO CEO Janice Migliore.

While initially supporting companies in the EMA region, PALCO’s European expansion will ultimately include the Asian-Pacific (APAC) region.

According to Migliore, plans are currently in the discovery phase for adding capabilities in the APAC region as PALCO continues to execute its services deployment strategy.

“Furthermore, PALCO’s expansion provides a singular solution to support global companies, while allowing us continued growth in business in the Americas,” said Migliore. • 12

December 2010 Initiatives

Irving Burton Associates (IBA), which expanded its operation to Huntsville last summer, recently celebrated its continued growth in the Huntsville/Madison County community at a recent ribbon cutting.

IBA, a woman-owned professional and technical services government contractor, expanded to Huntsville to broaden its delivery of technology and management solutions to the area’s defense community. Work in Huntsville includes joining contracts for the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command AMCOM EXPRESS contract, a contract that provides comprehensive management and support services to numerous Army facilities and groups. The company delivers program management and technical solutions to more than 40 program offices in the federal sector including the U.S. Department of Defense, the U.S. Department of Homeland Security and the U.S. Department of Interior.

Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board Chair Don Nalley said IBA is an excellent example of the kinds of companies that continue to make the local economy so competitive.

“We feel certain the company will feel right at home in Huntsville given the increasing federal presence and a flourishing business environment. Great companies lead to great communities and today IBA is officially joining that winning formula,” Nalley said.

Edwina Musante, IBA director of Huntsville operations, said that the company plans to add employees to its Huntsville office over the next year to support Redstone-based organizations.

“IBA is leveraging our capabilities in information technology and project management to support the missile and aviation organizations at Redstone Arsenal. We expect to hire four new employees in our Huntsville office before the end of the year, and our goal for 2011 is to grow by an additional 12 to 15 employees,” Musante said. “IBA has more than 30 years of excellent past performance with the Department of Defense and many other federal agencies. We look forward to an equally impressive record of successes with the organizations at Redstone Arsenal.”

Madison Mayor Paul Finley said that companies such as IBA are examples of companies that need to be in Huntsville/Madison County.

“This community is continuing to be on the map of places people and businesses need to be. This is a perfect example of just that,” Finley said. •

PPG to Manufacture State-of-the-Art Windows for New Jet PPG Industries’ aerospace transparencies group was awarded a contract by Mitsubishi Aircraft Corp. (MJET) to design and manufacture the all-glass windshields and side flight-deck windows for the new Mitsubishi Regional Jet (MRJ).

Under the agreement, PPG will supply original-equipment flight-deck windows for the life of the program and support operators with aftermarket parts, according to Mark Cancilla, PPG Aerospace global platform director for transparencies.

Cancilla said PPG will design and produce the windshields and side flight-deck windows at its Huntsville aircraft transparencies facility. The MRJ, which is a family of 70- to 90-seat next-generation regional jets under development by MJET, is expected to enter service in 2014.

“We are excited to play a role in the advanced-technology MRJ and appreciate being able to join with MJET in its launch,” Cancilla said. “This program is another demonstration of PPG’s continued commitment to the regional jet marketplace and to our ability to meet the important needs of regional jet operators. PPG’s design, technology and manufacturing capabilities enable us to provide high-quality, value-added transparencies, while our long history of supporting the aftermarket and our global network of support centers give us the expertise and infrastructure to provide timely operator service on a local basis.”

According to Cancilla, the heated windshields and side flight-deck windows will be among the largest in commercial aviation to afford enhanced visibility. Using three plies of Herculite® II chemically strengthened glass will enable PPG to design them to be strong yet lightweight. An additional design consideration is the attenuation of high-intensity radiated fields, which will be addressed with use of existing coatings technologies.

The windshields will be designed to resist impact by a 4-pound bird at 340 knots. •

~ continued on page 14

MJLM Engineering and Technical Services Opens New Refurbishment Facility MJLM Engineering and Technical Services recently held a grand opening for its new refurbishing facility in north Huntsville for continued support of various U.S. Army programs.

MJLM Engineering and Technical Services in Huntsville provides life-cycle solutions and long-term technical support services. Officials with the company say the business unit is poised for growth in the logistics, support, sustainment, and fabrication service areas, as well as its growth in design services.

MJLM provides engineering and technical support to its Close Combat Weapon System (CCWS) customer. This contract consists of 29 employees that work full-time to support the nation’s warfighters.

Charlie Kettle, chair-elect of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, said MJLM is an example of the kinds of companies that help diversify and strengthen the local economy.

“We have a diverse industry base that has helped the Huntsville economy stay strong in these challenging times. We are here today to celebrate a company that is succeeding in tough times by offering a variety of services to the U.S. Army. And providing them at a very high level, I might add. The facility we are having the grand opening for is representative of that,” Kettle said.

Odysseus Lanier, partner and director of MJLM Engineering and Technical Services, Federal Sector, said the company was first looking into providing engineering services support in 2001. Since then, the company has grown tremendously, with more growth planned, he said.

“This is a great day for us as a company. In 2001, we wanted to explore opportunities to provide engineering ser-

Odysseus Lanier, partner and director of MJLM Engineering and Technical Services Federal Sector announced plans to grow the company’s presence in Huntsville at a recent ribbon cutting for its new facility in north Huntsville. vices. We started with one employee then, and now we have grown to 84. According to our strategic plan over the next three to five years we should have 250 to 300 employees here. We think we have a good shot getting there,” Lanier said.

“This is a great hour for Huntsville, Team Redstone and our soldiers. Huntsville is going to be the beneficiary of this company’s success,” said Huntsville City Councilman Dr. Richard Showers. •

Summit 7 Systems Finds Establishment of HQ in Huntsville to be a Smart Move Summit 7 Systems recently celebrated the opening of its new office in Cummings Research Park.

Originally founded in Minneapolis, Summit 7 Systems relocated to Huntsville in 2009 and has since grown its business of providing business intelligence management solutions to a variety of customers. The staff have authored several publications on the Microsoft business platform, and have been acknowledged

by Microsoft (and throughout the industry) as experts in collaboration systems.

Charlie Kettle, chair-elect of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors said he thinks Summit 7 Systems’ growth and success mirror that of the local economy.

“Summit 7 Systems is an excellent example of how our community is performing – here we have bright and talented entrepreneurs who have selected this community – from many across the country, to grow their business,” Kettle said.

Scott Edwards, president and managing partner, said that he is amazed at the community and that the company is able to draw top talent, many of whom are experts in their field.

“The things going on in Huntsville are amazing. People are wanting to come down here and work for Summit 7,” Edwards said.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle congratulated the company on its growth.

Ben Curry and Scott Edwards of Summit 7 Systems receive a plaque from Charlie Kettle, chair-elect of the “You are in for a big adventure. You are sitting in one of the world’s great cenChamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, commemorating the opening of Summit 7’s new ters of excellence. We have the best and brightest in Huntsville and that makes us office in Cummings Research Park. a special place. This is an example of our future,” Battle said. • Initiatives December 2010

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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS continued from page 13

i3 Grows in Huntsville, Diversifies Customer Base Innovation Integration Incorporated (i3) recently held a ribbon cutting for the opening of the company’s new office in Cummings Research Park.

Since its founding in 2007 with one employee, the company has grown quickly. The company’s first subcontract was to provide services for the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command.

By the end of 2008, i3 was at 18 employees and generated $1.2 million in revenue. In 2009, the company experienced a huge surge by increasing its workforce to 120 employees and generating $15.25 million in revenue. The company has continued it growth and today has more than 250 employees and has revenues of more than $50 million.

The company’s client base also has grown and diversified to include various programs with the U.S. Army, Navy and the Air Force, among others.

“This company has become a huge success story in a community that has become one of our nation’s greatest economic success stories,” said Ron Poteat, secretary/treasurer of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors.

Michael Wicks, CEO of i3, said that Huntsville is the best place he could have started a business.

i3 CEO Michael Wicks “There really is no better place to start a business than in Huntsville. We get tickled every time we read an article in Forbes featuring Huntsville. All of our growth is because we do the little things right,” Wicks said.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle congratulated the company on it growth and lauded the company as an example of Huntsville growth as a community.

“You really have to realize the economic impact companies such as this have. It really contributes to the economic engine of this state,” Battle said. •

Auburn University Opens Research Center to Work with Local Industry, Academia and Government

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Officials with Auburn University were in Huntsville recently to formally open Auburn’s Huntsville Research Center.

Auburn University’s new Huntsville Research Center is already working closely with area industry and federal agencies, including plans to develop cyber security technologies designed to protect U.S. soldiers and information systems on the battlefield.

“Our goal is to work in partnership with the Huntsville community to expand the region’s role in the national research agenda, bring new ideas and products to government, industry and consumers, and help create economic opportunity,” Auburn University President Dr. Jay Gogue said.

The Huntsville Research Center is headed by Rodney Robertson, former director of the U.S. Army Space and Missile Defense Command’s technical center. It will concentrate on projects in defense, aerospace, advanced manufacturing, life sciences, biotechnology, information technology and other federal and state government priorities.

“Bringing the best minds and ideas together enables us to tackle the nation’s most difficult problems,” said Robertson.

“Auburn researchers are passionate about discovery and innovation. We’re eager to bring our capabilities and resources to the table with our Huntsville colleagues to deliver the best results for Alabama and the nation.”

Robertson said Auburn researchers will work closely with scientists at Alabama A&M University and the University of Alabama in Huntsville.

“We look forward to building on the Alabama A&M and Auburn partnership with new research initiatives that are vital for the Huntsville community,” said Alabama A&M President Dr. Andrew Hugine.

December 2010 Initiatives

Auburn President Dr. Jay Gogue “UAHuntsville plays a crucial role in the intellectual development of Huntsville, and these collaborations, particularly with other state institutions, are one of the most effective ways that we can respond to the challenges facing our community, state and nation,” UAHuntsville President Dr. Dave Williams said.

Each year, more than $30 billion in federal funding flows though the Huntsville area in government contracts. Collaboration among scientists, whether they work in universities, government or industry, is essential to solve today’s complex research challenges, according to Robertson.

Auburn’s work in cyber security and information assurance includes training wounded soldiers. Training that occurred last month in Huntsville prepared them for cyber positions in government and industry. •

~ highlights compiled by John Southerland & Harrison Diamond

WaveLink Celebrates Opening New Office in Huntsville

Chamber Board Chair Don Nalley with WaveLink President Tamela Gibbs.

WaveLink, a small woman-owned defense contractor, initially began providing commercial software development to telecommunications companies. Its products and services have expanded to providing high-end technical services and systems engineering support for government clients, including numerous U.S. Army aviation and missile programs and program management offices.

Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board Chair Don Nalley praised WaveLink’s success and said the company’s continued growth helps the local economy.

“At the Chamber, we often discuss how fortunate we are to have such a diverse industry base that helps our local economy stay stronger than most in these challenging financial times, and WaveLink has proven to be a wonderful example of this community’s economic growth,” Nalley said.

Tamela Gibbs, president of WaveLink said of the opening of the new office, “I am so glad to be from Huntsville and so glad to be in the business that we are in.”

Joe Vallely, economic development director with the City of Huntsville, said that WaveLink is a prime example of the many “home-grown” companies that are succeeding in Huntsville.

“Congratulations to you and for all that you have accomplished. You represent the kind of home-grown growth that we like to see in this community,” Vallely said. •

Local Insurance Agency Makes Distinguished List Fountain Parker Harbarger & Associates recently earned the highly-coveted “Best Practices” designation from the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America, an honor few insurance companies can claim. Of the more than 37,000 independent insurance agencies in the country, only 260 received the honor of “Best Practices” for 2010. Of those 224 companies that made the list, there were only six from Alabama. •

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Chamber Workshops Provide Tools to Area Workforce Matching job seekers with employment opportunities is the Chamber’s goal

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he Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County hosted a series of workshops over the past few months designed to help local job seekers who are experiencing the challenges of a career in transition get the tools they need to make a smooth career move.

The workshops covered diverse topics such as financial planning, how to find federal employment – including opportunities with the Missile Defense Agency – and how to deal with change.

With recent layoffs by NASA and the Base Realignment and Closure workforce transition entering its final phase, the Chamber’s workforce recruitment efforts not only emphasized recruiting new workers to the area, but also in retaining the incumbent educated and trained workforce.

“With Huntsville/Madison County having the highest concentration of engineers in the country and the parallel need of a highly skilled knowledge-based workforce

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December 2010 Initiatives

to fill current industry requirements, it is very important that we retain the talent that lives here today in our community,” said Jeremiah Knight, the Chamber’s vice chair of workforce.

According to Lucia Cape, Chamber workforce vice president, the workshops were developed as a way to help local companies provide support and resources to employees affected by the downturn in the economy and also to assist trailing spouses and family members who moved to the community as a result of the BRAC decision.

“We get a lot of questions from both local and potential residents about how to find a job in Huntsville,” said Cape. “As a result, we designed these workshops to make it easy for them to find their way through the maze of opportunity.”

During the workshops, the Chamber high-

lighted its recruitment site www.asmartplace. com to attendees. Funded by a grant from the State of Alabama, the site is designed to connect jobseekers to employers throughout the Tennessee Valley region. The site enables job seekers to search and apply for jobs within a 90-mile radius of Redstone Arsenal based on specific search criteria the user inputs. In addition, registered users can upload their resume into a database that area employers can use to search for available workers.

“We have received very positive feedback from both jobseekers and employers who have attended the workshops,” said Cape.

The Chamber will be hosting additional workshops that are relevant to supporting the region’s workforce and employers in 2011.

• Staff Reports

For more information on the Chamber’s workforce activities visit

www.huntsvillealabamausa.com/workforce/workforce.html

Initiatives December 2010

17

The Strength of HREGI Investors Ensure that Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative Remains the Catalyst for Targeted Industry Expansion in Huntsville/Madison County

F

or more than 100 years, the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County’s primary mission has been to prepare, develop and promote the community for economic growth. Through the efforts of progressive community leaders and strong partnerships with local, state and federal officials, this region has grown and prospered in all that it has attempted to accomplish.

Since the 1950s the local economic base has diversified from cotton farms to missiles, and magnified into what residents see today bringing more opportunities to succeed for all area businesses.

This astronomical success did not happen overnight. It required the coordination of an organized vision with numerous partners working toward a common goal – increasing the economic growth of the Huntsville/Madison County community. Local economic development efforts are funded and supported by many private businesses and public sector entities and their leaders, who look beyond what the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County can do for them directly and instead support a program that is designed to help the entire region grow and prosper.

As a result, almost seven years ago, the Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative (HREGI) was established by local business and community leaders as the roadmap and investment tool for funding continuous growth through the Chamber.

The Chamber’s mission is simple, but its impact profound. The result of this investment is that more targeted industries in primarily high-tech fields and more highly qualified and educated workers are coming into the region to accelerate the potential for growth that benefits all companies.

HREGI accounts for about one-third of the Chamber’s annual budget and provides a vehicle for public and private companies and organizations to invest in the continued growth and prosperity of the region.

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December 2010 Initiatives

HREGI investors include more than 150 companies and public entities that annually invest more than $1,500,000 to stimulate economic growth. Consequently, Huntsville has been able to weather the recent nationwide recession much better than most communities, both larger and smaller, across the country. In fact, the community is being recognized for the strength of its economy almost monthly with the latest accolade coming from Area Development magazine, which named Huntsville the seventh “Most Attractive Metro for Business.”

“Huntsville/Madison County has many assets that make it so competitive, including great sites, a strong workforce and a well-educated and productive population,” said Bill Fredrick, managing director of the Wadley Donovan Group, an economic development consulting firm that advises economic development agencies, workforce development groups, and local and state governments on a variety of economic development and workforce development issues.

Major advantages that make the area unique, Fredrick said, include its “organized, energetic, can-do political, business and Chamber leadership and a consensus-built strategic plan.”

“Our focus is on creating and sustaining programs that prepare our community to effectively compete in the global economy and to provide opportunities for our local businesses to grow,” said Jan Smith, investor relations vice-chair for the Chamber. “It is up to them to take these opportunities and turn them into growth for their individual business.”

The HREGI plan includes working with local businesses to address their needs; recruiting targeted industry; protecting and growing the aerospace and defense industry; developing capacity for new and sustained economic growth; developing and recruiting a skilled workforce; enhancing the community’s image; and remaining accountable to the Chamber’s stakeholders. story continued on page 24

Special Thanks to Our

HREGI Investors Mayor Tommy Battle

City of Huntsville Development Partner

Mayor Paul Finley

City of Madison Development Council

Chairman Mike Gillespie

Madison County Commission Development Council

Waymon Pace

Tennessee Valley Authority Development Council

Bill Pippin

Huntsville Utilities Development Council

David Spillers

Huntsville Hospital Development Council

photos continued on page 20

Initiatives December 2010

19

HREGI Investors, continued from page 18 –

Rick Tucker

Port of Huntsville Development Council

Jim Bolte

Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Inc. Chairman’s Council

Ron Poteat

Regions Bank

Chairman’s Council

John Gully

SAIC

President’s Circle

Dave Hargrove

AT&T

President’s Circle

Jeremiah Knight

Verizon Wireless President’s Circle

20

December 2010 Initiatives

Bob Ludwig

The Huntsville Times President’s Circle

Joe Newberry

Redstone Federal Credit Union President’s Circle

Tom Stanton

ADTRAN, Inc. President’s Circle

Joe Alexander

Camber Corporation Chamber Trustees

Rose Allen

Booz Allen Hamilton Chamber Trustees

Garth Bloxham

Cobham Analytic Solutions Chamber Trustees

continued on page 25 Initiatives December 2010

21

Dynetics to Build New High-Tech Manufacturing Facility at Cummings Research Park Campus Recent Announcement Will Add 350 Jobs Over Three Years

P

Above: Alabama Gov. Bob Riley is greeted by Madison County Commission Chair Mike Gillespie at the announcement of Dynetics’ new facility as Don Nalley, Board Chair of the Chamber of Commerce, and Dave King, Executive Vice President of Dynetics, look on. Renderings of the new facility shown below and on opposite page. Site of new facility on Explorer Blvd. shown at top of page.

22

December 2010 Initiatives

erhaps the most efficient way to prepare for growth is to plan for that growth. While there are many variables that can be attributable to a company’s success and expansion, one key element is to have plans in place to handle the growth should it occur. In the case of Dynetics, a Huntsville-based success story with its corporate headquarters in a stunning facility in Cummings Research Park, this growth seems to be occurring rapidly, but the plans for that growth have long been in place thanks to the vision and the strategic planning of its leadership.

Dr. Marc Bendickson, CEO of Dynetics, said it has been important to keep focused on the future, so much so that it became part of the company’s daily focus. When Dynetics recently announced plans to build a new facility on its Huntsville campus that will create 350 jobs over three years, the announcement was several years in the making.

“We put a committee together two years ago, and they began developing requirements for this building then, but the vision goes back probably 10 years. As we moved more into products, we wanted to have a facility designed to prototype and manufacture those.”

The facility will be 226,500 total square feet with about 110,000 square feet of prototype development and low-rate production space. The remaining portion will be office space. The facility will expand the company’s capabilities in research and development and production for

aerospace, defense and cyber products. It will be a high-tech design, development and prototyping facility, incorporating the latest resources available to produce quality products rapidly and affordably for both commercial and government customers. The new facility will provide space for the company’s hardware integration; specialty item production; space systems work (including satellite integration); and specialized systems, subsystems and tools development.

The announcement was met with great fanfare among the many partners and team members that would normally be involved in a project of this magnitude.

“The development of this facility will take our capability to design, develop and produce complex hardware systems and equipment to a whole new level. It has been specifically tailored to address some of the most challenging aerospace and defense problems our nation faces today,” Bendickson said.

United States Sen. Richard Shelby praised the company for its high standards and for what it does and will be doing to enhance the nation’s security capabilities.

“This facility will be an outstanding asset for our national security capabilities, the continuation of U.S. supremacy in space and the North Alabama community,” Shelby said.

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley, a key partner in area economic development projects, said the news was good for all of Alabama.

“It’s always great to welcome new jobs to Alabama, especially these high technology jobs that are absolutely vital to Alabama’s future,” Riley said. “With the outstanding leadership of Dynetics, Alabama is moving forward.”

Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/ Madison County Board Chair Don Nalley said the project involved a number of regional economic development partners.

“Dynetics is a wonderful story, an employee owned company that continues to expand its facilities and its employment with the kinds of jobs that will keep our local economic engine running strong for years to come,” Nalley said. “Announcements of this stature typically include many long hours of work that occurs behind the scenes involving the company and our team of economic development partners, from the State of Alabama and the Alabama Development Office to the City of Huntsville, the Madison County Commission and other state and regional partners such as the Tennessee Valley Authority and Huntsville Utilities.”

Tom Baumbach, company president, said, “As Dynetics continues to grow and expand our customer base, we wanted to be able to offer our customers more solutions right here locally. Our customers have relied on us for the past 36 years to provide them with responsive, low-cost solutions, and we will continue

to do that more effectively than ever.”

And many of those solutions will be space-related.

“This new facility will enable us to expand our space systems development and production capabilities,” said Dave King, executive vice president for Dynetics. “This includes the development and integration of small satellites, our missile work and our work for commercial customers such as Bigelow Aerospace, Boeing, Lockheed Martin and Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne. We will be able to offer enhanced support to NASA, including support for the agency’s new direction to build heavy lift rockets and implement new technologies.”

Bendickson said there has long been a need to have great “anchor tenants” in the building – and with a couple of classified programs that constitute at least one of those anchor tenants, the time was right for construction. And rest assured company leaders already have an eye on the next wave of growth.

“We’re considering additional growth beyond the facility,” he said. “There’s a lot of unknown out there, but we might one day need more of a dedicated facility to manufacture a unique product. There’s a lot of opportunity out there if we can land some of these big programs.”

• John Southerland Initiatives December 2010

23

The Strength of HREGI, continued from page 18 – As a result, during the seven years that HREGI has been in existence, Huntsville/ Madison County announced more than 27,000 new and expanding jobs with a total capital investment of more than $1.7 billion.

These achievements far exceeded the HREGI goals of 17,500 new and expanding jobs and $900 million in capital investments for the same period. Additionally, these re-

sults far outpaced the state and U.S. averages in every growth category. In fact, since 2000, the Huntsville metro area more than tripled the growth rate of the state in employment and led other peer communities such as Austin, Charlotte, Raleigh and Durham in professional and technical employment.

As result of the active engagement and support of the entire community, both large and small companies continue to make a difference. In recognition of their special in-

Investors in the Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative (HREGI) were recently invited to attend a special reception at the Chamber, where President/CEO Brian Hilson and Chair-elect Charlie Kettle provided a brief economic update to attendees.

24

December 2010 Initiatives

vestment in economic development, special update meetings and investor-only events are held throughout the year for HREGI investors.

The investments are paying off in other areas as well. Huntsville, Madison and Madison County recently received national recognition from publications such as the Milken Institute, Forbes and Kiplinger’s Personal Finance as well as being listed by Entrepreneur as the nation’s leading small city with big opportunities. These accolades make it easier for Huntsville/Madison County to sell itself to businesses looking to relocate to the community and to recruit a skilled workforce to fill the jobs that are currently available.

But, the best is yet to come. Through HREGI, the Chamber continues to plan for future growth, with an emphasis placed on meeting infrastructure, workforce and education needs of a growing, vibrant community.

“Working together, the partners and investors of HREGI ensure that we remain ahead of our competition and that we continue to prepare, develop and promote our community for economic prosperity,” said Don Nalley, Chamber Board Chair.

• Loren Traylor

HREGI Investors, continued from page 21 –

Joe Cosumano

Agility Defense & Government Services Chamber Trustees

Mark Curran

L3 Communications Corporate HQ Huntsville Chamber Trustees

Kerry Fehrenbach

Oscar Gonzales

Intergraph Corporation

North Alabama Multiple Listing Service

Chamber Trustees

Chamber Trustees

John Eagan

Wells Fargo Bank Chamber Trustees

Mark Harris

Huntsville-Madison County Builders Association, Inc. Chamber Trustees

Steve Hassell

John Holly

Dr. Pam Hudson

Emerson Network Products

Lockheed Martin Corporation

Crestwood Medical Center

Chamber Trustees

Chamber Trustees

Chamber Trustees

continued on page 26

Initiatives December 2010

25

HREGI Investors, continued from page 25 –

Tony Jones

The Boeing Company Chamber Trustees

Simon Kim

LG Electronics Alabama, Inc. Chamber Trustees

Don Nalley

Beason & Nalley, Inc. Chamber Trustees

Tom Ray

Look Outdoor Advertising, Inc. Chamber Trustees

Clay Vandiver

BBVA Compass Chamber Trustees

Mike Watkins

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama Chamber Trustees

26

December 2010 Initiatives

Rey AlmodĂłvar

Intuitive Research & Technology Corporation

Marcus Bendickson

Greg Bragg

Progress Partners

Consolidated Construction Company

Micah Bullard

Frank Caprio

Derrick Copeland

Turner Universal Construction

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings, LLP

Applied Data Trends, Inc.

Deke Damson

Rex Geveden

Jeff Hamilton

Jerry Damson Honda Acura

Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc.

The OrthopĂŚdic Center

Progress Partners

Progress Partners

Progress Partners

Dynetics

Progress Partners

Progress Partners

Progress Partners

Progress Partners

Progress Partners

continued on page 28

Initiatives December 2010

27

HREGI Investors, continued from page 27 –

Steve Hill

AEgis Technologies Group, Inc. Progress Partners

Charlie Kettle

First Commercial Bank Progress Partners

Frederick Lanier

J. Smith Lanier & Co. Progress Partners

Eddie Hoff

Doug Johnson

BB&T

URS Corporation

Progress Partners

Scott Kowerduck

BAE Systems Progress Partners

Rich Marsden

Lanier Ford Shaver Payne, P.C. Progress Partners

Joe Ritch

Jan Smith

Sirote & Permutt, P.C.

S3, Inc.

Progress Partners

Progress Partners

John Wilmer

Ernie Wu

Wilmer & Lee, P.A.

ERC, Inc.

Progress Partners

Ken Barnett

Analytical Services, Inc. Progress Investors

Progress Partners

Shari Barnum

Investor’s Resource/ Raymond James Financial Services Progress Investors

Progress Partners

Tracy Lamm

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc. Progress Partners

Scott McLain

Coldwell Banker Commercial McLain Real Estate Progress Partners

Sandra Steele

Enfinger Steele Development, Inc. Progress Partners

Scott Averbuch

Averbuch Realty Co, Inc. – Scott Averbuch Progress Investors

Bob Baron

Baron Services, Inc. Progress Investors

continued on page 30 28

December 2010 Initiatives

E M P L O Y E E

O F

T H E

Q U A R T E R

Lori Warner Financial Assistant

K

eeping track of timely payments for all the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County’s numerous events requires meticulous attention to detail, the ability to multitask and a team-based attitude. These are all qualities that the Chamber’s latest Employee of the Quarter, Lori Warner, has.

Warner is responsible for accounts payable at the Chamber.

In this capacity, she handles the timely payment for services to vendors and payroll to the Chamber’s employees. This keeps Warner on her toes, but according to her, she would not have it any other way.

“I assist with payroll as well as handling all the accounts payable responsibilities. It keeps me very busy and that is just the way I like it.”

To Warner, being named Employee of the Quarter is important because of the respect she has for her fellow Chamber employ-

ees and the professionalism they show every day working for the community’s lead organization for economic development.

“This is such a great honor for me. I am thrilled to be part of such a professional team. The team atmosphere here at the Chamber really makes this a fun and rewarding job.

“Lori is smart, hard working and willing and able to research and analyze options that provide solutions and efficiencies to Chamber operations. She does it with a great attitude,” said Christy Nalley, director of finance and administration for the Chamber.

Warner said that among the things she enjoys most about working at the Chamber is seeing the numerous events it holds and meeting new people.

“There’s always some exciting event that the Chamber is putting on which has given me the opportunity to meet so many fascinating and talented people.” •

Initiatives December 2010

29

HREGI Investors, continued from page 28 –

Penny Billings

BancorpSouth Progress Investors

Dan Bodeker

BFA Systems, Inc. Progress Investors

Brian Bourque

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail at Hampton Cove Progress Investors

Kathy Broad

QTEC, Inc.

Progress Investors

Greg Brown

Brown Precision, Inc. Progress Investors

Charley Burruss

Kudzu Productions, Inc. Progress Investors

30

December 2010 Initiatives

Jerry Cargile

4SITE, Inc.

Progress Investors

Mike Chapman

Chapman Sisson Architects, Inc. Progress Investors

George Clark

Radiance Technologies, Inc. Progress Investors

Ken Conner

Decosimo Certified Public Accountants Progress Investors

Kim Doering

United Space Alliance, LLC Progress Investors

Jack Fite

FITE Building Co., Inc. Progress Investors

continued on page 32 Initiatives December 2010

31

HREGI Investors, continued from page 28 –

Melissa Friday

Ron Gray

Kristine Harding

Woodland Homes of Huntsville

Gray Research, Inc.

KPS Group

Lee Hoekenschnieder

George Jones

Progress Bank

Century Automotive

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

Robert Junkin

Progress Investors

Hardin-Junkin & Company Wealth Solutions, LLC

Andy Kattos

Wally Kirkpatrick

Ron Klein

ServisFirst Bank

DESE Research, Inc.

Belzon, Inc.

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

continued on page 35

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December 2010 Initiatives

Editor’s Note: Ed Buckbee has been associated with the U.S. space program for four decades. He was commissioned a U.S. Army officer in 1958, working for the U.S. Army Ballistic Missile Agency at Redstone. In 1961, Buckbee transferred to the newly formed NASA Marshall Space Flight Center where he worked for rocket scientist Dr. Wernher von Braun. He was selected by von Braun in 1970 to be the first director of the Alabama Space & Rocket Center. He is the author of “The Real Space Cowboys”; the editor of “50 Years of Rockets and Spacecraft”; and the producer of “Wernher von Braun – The Rocket Man” and brings in-depth, first-hand knowledge of the history and successes of Marshall Space Flight Center, which is observing its 50th anniversary.

Happy 50th Birthday Marshall!

I

Light the Candle Astronaut Alan Shepard is hurled into space atop a Mercury-Redstone rocket.

The booster used in the Project Mercury launching was provided and launched for the Space Task Group by the Marshall Space Flight Center.

(Photo courtesy of NASA)

t’s been four decades since U.S. astronauts Neil Armstrong, Buzz Aldrin and Michael Collins rode an Apollo spacecraft atop a Huntsville-developed Saturn V rocket to the moon. Perhaps Sir Arthur C. Clarke, author of 2001: A Space Odyssey captured the full magnificence of the feat when he noted, “Apollo will be the only achievement this generation will be remembered for a thousand years from now.”

The organization that created the Saturn V, the George C. Marshall Space Flight Center is observing its 50th anniversary. It grew out of the U.S. Army’s missile program at Redstone Arsenal. This is where space exploration for America began under the leadership of Marshall’s first director, Dr. Wernher von Braun.

Programs like Mercury-Redstone, Saturn, Skylab, Space Shuttle, Spacelab, Hubble, Chandra, International Space Station and Constellation became symbols of America’s achievements in the peaceful exploration of space.

The early programs, while devoted to developing Army missiles, provided the infrastructure for space flight – the facilities, equipment, processes and most importantly, the working relationship between people and organizations. The early years also served to define the roles and interfaces between the myriad technical, scientific, administrative and management disciplines required for the complexities of manned space flight.

The human element has always been the heart of the Marshall rocket team – civil service and contractors. The dream of going to the moon and exploring the planets stirred within man’s consciousness long ago. The soul of an explorer lives in us all. The ideas that brought this dream to reality sprung from the minds of creative people within the Marshall team. The hardware was the handiwork of thousands of members of the team – the engineers, secretaries, technicians, inspectors, scientist and managers – each individual and their work as important as the other. Spread across several decades, they were bound together in common purpose. Difficult goals were set. Schedules were tight. Money

was limited. The difficulties were immense, but the challenge of manned space flight was and still is exciting and irresistible.

The Marshall team began manned space flight with Alan Shepard’s flight aboard a Mercury-Redstone rocket in 1961. In the past 50 years, this team has successfully launched numerous unmanned flights such as the Hubble and Chandra spacecraft and man-rated, nine Saturns to the moon, six Saturns into earth orbit and 132 Space Shuttle flights. These team members are people who assumed responsibilities for certifying the launch vehicle as reliable and safe to fly with humans aboard. That final decision to launch was made by a handful of people who depended upon data and information furnished by colleagues. This special breed of rocketeer had to be disciplined and skilled in the system. Each accepted the challenge of working in a highly sophisticated and technical field that often required fast, critical, calculated and intuitive decisions. Von Braun was known to say to his managers, “remember you are on the critical path,” meaning their work impacted the nation’s abilities to get men safely to the moon and back.

The Marshall team led the effort to create what is regarded today as the nation’s space crescent of human space flight consisting of NASA’s Marshall Center, Kennedy Space Center, Michoud Assembly Facility, Stennis Space Center and Johnson Space Center.

Space flight is not easy. It is rocket science and the laws of physics have not changed.

It is no less complex getting into low earth orbit today than it was when the Marshall team launched pounds instead of tons. The men and women of the Marshall Space Flight Center today possess the will, intellect and imagination to continue mankind’s peaceful exploration of space through new programs and missions.

Happy 50th birthday to the Marshall team, the world’s premier rocket center. We are proud to have you in the Rocket City.

• Ed Buckbee author of The Real Space Cowboys Initiatives December 2010

33

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 September 30, presented

by Verizon Wireless and located at the Holiday Inn – Downtown

Chamber members spent an energetic morning speed networking and growing their businesses.

Washington Update October 4 at the Von Braun Center, presented by Northrop Grumman

U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions updated Chamber members on what Washington was doing to help the community.

2010 Business EXPO October 28 at the Von Braun Center, presented by RJ Young

With more than 230 vendors and 3,000 attendees, the 2010 Business Expo was the largest and most successful ever.

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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December 2010 Initiatives

HREGI Investors, continued from page 32 –

Daniel LaBoudiere

Marriott Huntsville Progress Investors

Christopher Luchtefeld

Donna Lamb

Lamb Commercial Services, Inc. Progress Investors

Steve Mann

Progress Investors

UBS Huntsville Wealth Management Group

Garrett Martz

Robert Mayes

QinetiQ North America

BlueCreek Investment Partners

Elizabeth Morard

Bill Roark

Qualis Corporation

Torch Technologies

Greg Schmann

Gary Smith

Decisive Analytics Corporation

DRS Test & Energy Management, LLC

Jean Templeton

Kelley Zelickson

Burger King – WesFam Restaurants, Inc.

Northrop Grumman Corporation

BID Designs, LLC

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

Progress Investors

Initiatives December 2010

35

Scientists and engineers at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center along with their partners from across the country have built the Hurricane Imaging Radiometer, HIRAD for short, to contribute to the effort. HIRAD is small, lightweight, relatively inexpensive, and has no moving parts, giving it a big advantage as it flies through hurricanes. It is mounted for testing in an anechoic chamber, a chamber outfitted with foam spikes to eliminate all ambient microwaves so that scientists can properly test the instrument. The instrument will fly on a WB-57, one of the few aircraft capable of operating at 60,000 feet, an altitude so high that the pilots have to wear special pressurized suits to withstand the harsh conditions.

(Photo courtesy of NASA)

Preparing to Launch New Small Businesses Federal funding will help grow area’s high-tech small businesses and stimulate job growth

T

he Von Braun Center for Science & Innovation (VCSI) was recently awarded a $600,000 Small Business Administration (SBA) grant for the SBA’s “Innovative Economies” pilot program to help existing small high-tech companies create jobs and to support the development of high-tech start-ups in support of advanced defense technologies.

SBA’s funding will be provided to the VCSI, a local non-profit group and the cluster’s organizing entity, to create more opportunities for small businesses. The grant’s goal is to provide advanced defense technology solutions to the federal government.

The funds can be used to provide services including mentoring and counseling, small businesses commercialization and technology transfer services, business matchmaking events, business coaching and other services that support the growth and development of

36

December 2010 Initiatives

small businesses in the cluster region and its industries, based upon a plan that each cluster organization developed.

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said the award represents the best of Huntsville’s technology development.

“Technology is, was and will forever be a foundation of the Huntsville economy. This recognition of the Von Braun Center for Science & Innovation not only gives us the opportunity to further capitalize on Huntsville’s combined strength in defense technology, but also showcases our collaboration in defense technology between government, academia, contractor and commercial organizations,” said Battle.

Marty Kress, executive director of VCSI, highlighted the strength of the team.

“VCSI is honored to have been able to secure this award from SBA for the Huntsville

region. VCSI was created to foster and promote collaborative activities, and like so many things that happen in the Huntsville region, it took a team effort to put a winning proposal in place,” Kress said. “The team went after this award because we all believed that the Huntsville/North Alabama region was a technology cluster worthy of national recognition. SBA has concurred.”

The Huntsville proposal was one of only three plans awarded in the “Advanced Defense Technologies” category and one of 10 overall. The 10 “Innovative Economies” awardees were selected from among 173 applicants to participate in the pilot program and represent a wide range of diverse geographic areas and industries. From urban to rural and clean energy to robotics, the applicants focused on leading research and commercializing new products.

SBA worked with the Department of Defense to identify areas around the country where innovation clusters can help meet critical defense technology needs such as advanced robotics, advanced defense systems, power/energy innovations, cyber-security and applied lightweight materials.

In addition to VCSI, the other key members of the Huntsville Team include the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County; UAHuntsville; Alabama A&M University; the Women’s Business Center of North Alabama; Biz Tech; and Defense Acquisition University.

The Huntsville team performed a gap analysis of its Department of Defense customers. Based on information gained from

If your company has technology in any of these five focus areas: • Small Spacecraft • Environmental Monitoring • Intel-Surveillance-Recon • Robotics-Interoperable Systems • Innovative Energy Applications the Huntsville ADT Initiative can assist with the following: • Help identify and understand DOD customer requirements • Provide intelligence on opportunities or procurements from the government that could benefit from your technology • Facilitate teaming with prime contractors • Assist with contract vehicles to sell the solution to a federal customer • Develop a community of technology companies that can work together to provide system solutions to the federal customer

In 2008, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, DoD Space Test Program, and VCSI entered into a Flight Opportunity Agreement for the development of a microsatellite that would fly experiments for DoD. This new spacecraft will be called FASTSAT-HSV, short for the Fast Affordable Science and Technology Satellite – Huntsville. Future contract rights now belong to Dynetics. that analysis and customer inputs, the team will have five Technology Focus Areas that are considered well-aligned with emerging DoD requirements, including:

(1) Small spacecraft, airships and nanosats (2) Environmental monitoring and security (3) Intelligence-Surveillance-Reconnaissance (4) Robotics-interoperable systems (such as

unmanned ground vehicles, unmanned aerial

vehicles, and others) (5) Innovative energy applications A sixth area, cyber security, is also being supported by the grant activities.

The Huntsville team proposed an expansion of existing business services for small businesses in the 10-county region to help secure advanced defense technology contracts and subcontracts. The team also proposed development of a core set of key technology and market intelligence services identified as critical requirements by regional small businesses.

“This award will strengthen our community’s ability to support and grow our small businesses in the area of advanced defense technologies. This will allow us to grow our region by creating more jobs and to help these businesses compete on a global scale,” Don Nalley, chair of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors.

SBA Administrator Karen Mills praised the award winners for capitalizing on their economic strengths.

“Maximizing a region’s economic assets is one of the best ways to create long term job growth, and that’s what SBA’s new Innovative Economies pilot initiative is doing,” Mills said. “Today we are announcing funding support for 10 regional economic clusters. SBA’s support will help expand the opportunities and the role small businesses play in these regional collaborations, which are enhancing the ability to create jobs locally and compete on a national and global scale. I’m thrilled to announce the Von Braun Center for Science and Innovation’s participation. They’re creating jobs in the community and making Huntsville an industry leader.”

“The overall quality and diversity of proposals reflects the ingenuity of the American people and the vitality of highgrowth, high-impact small businesses in the U.S.,” said Gary Fontaine, SBA contracting officer.

The team has already begun to put its technical approach in place on behalf of regional small businesses. Markeeva Morgan, a NASA project manager with experience in both NASA and the Department of Defense, will serve as project manager for this activity following the next space shuttle launch. For more information, visit the website at www.

HuntsvilleADT.vcsi.org.

• Lucia Cape & John Southerland Initiatives December 2010

37

Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County

Staff 2010 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

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

Hiroko Sedensky, web designer/research specialist

Kathleen Byrne, information services specialist Donna Dingler, resource desk coordinator

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, investor relations representative Mike Brazier, investor relations representative Donna McCrary, investor relations & membership specialist

Laura Patterson, events coordinator Jason Hopkins, small business coordinator

Finance & Administration Christy Nalley, director, finance & administration Jamie Gallien, IT manager Mary McNairy, accounting specialist Lori Warner, financial assistant Joe Watson, facilities supervisor

Associated Organization 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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community profile

TOP 10 EMPLOYERS Redstone Arsenal* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 25,373

Population

Madison County

City of Huntsville

2000 Census

276,700

158,216

29,329

342,376

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

Current Estimate*

327,744

179,653

39,876

406,316

The Boeing Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,006

City of Huntsville Madison Metro Area

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

Households & Income # of Households

127,342

Avg. Household Income $73,430 $30,334 Per Capita Income *July 2010

NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,177

69,278 $65,159 $28,444

14,624

153,326

$93,488 $35,847

$71,267 $28,779

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov), 2007 American Community Survey

CINRAM, Inc. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,800 SAIC (Science Applications International Corporation) . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,303 City of Huntsville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,199 Madison County Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,150 Sanmina-SCI Corporation . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,971 Source: Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County *includes on-site 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.

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leader in technology development. The second-largest science and technology

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