Initiatives April 2013
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April 2013 Initiatives
New Chamber Members JOINED IN JANUARY
Enterprise Holdings, Inc. - University Drive
ResourceTek
Enterprise Integration, Inc. (EII Solutions)
RMAC Training
5.11 Tactical
Finery Boutique
Seraaj Family Homes
Applied Leadership, Lic. of Crestcom Intl.
Flint River Dental
Shane’s Rib Shack
Bastion Technologies, Inc.
FNB Bank
Steak Express
Branae Holdings, LLC
General Shale Brick
White Dresses LLC
Bricks4kidz
Georgia-Pacific Corrugated, LLC
Butler America, Inc.
GigaParts, Inc.
CAJA of Madison County (Court Appointed Juvenile Advocate Program)
Green Group Realty, LLC
Charlotte Pipe and Foundry Company
Jake Marshall Service, Inc.
Coleman American Croy Engineering, LLC Elite Mobile Services Enterprise Holdings, Inc. - Memorial Parkway S.
H & R Block - Memorial Parkway S. Knight Sign Industries, Inc. MailPro Copy, Fax & Ship McLain Surgical Arts Miranda Yount
JOINED IN FEBRUARY Alabama Cooperative Extension System Covenant Properties, Inc. Deloitte LLP Environmental Systems Corp. of Huntsville Feld Entertainment Fleet Feet Sports - Huntsville Free 2 Teach Foundation
NO’ALA Magazine
Freeman Mediation & Conflict Resolution
nouSystems, Inc. Pets, Love and Happiness Premium Shakers Quality Outdoor Advertising Real Estate Intelligence Agency - REIA
H.A.P.P.I., Inc. Hall Associates Huntsville Laser Center Hyatt Regency B’ham - The Wynfrey Hotel Hyde Homes, LLC ICP Panel-Tec, Inc. Juice Plus+ - Beverly Sandlin & Judy Gilbert LaKetta Montague Main Street South Shopping Village Manpower, Inc. Mapco Express Mart Mathnasium of Huntsville Maynor, Mitchell, & Lee Eye Center Office Depot #369 Memorial Parkway S. Popeyes - Memorial Parkway NW Popeyes - Memorial Parkway S. Popeyes - University Drive Prozone Water Products, Inc. RE/MAX Alliance - Mary Ellen Peters Co. Russell Management Group, LLC (RMG) Sarah M. Withrow, DMD LLC (d.b.a. Arlington Dentistry) Summit Crossing Community Church Supreme Lending Vietnam Veterans of America CHAP 1067 Walgreens #6464-Bob Wallace Avenue Initiatives April 2013
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Thanks to Our Investors Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative
Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
Development Partner ($200,000+ annually)
City of Huntsville Development Council ($120,000+ annually)
Huntsville Utilities Chairman’s Council ($75,000+ annually)
Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama, Inc. President’s Circle
($50,000+ annually)
Huntsville Hospital Port of Huntsville Regions Bank Tennessee Valley Authority Leadership Forum ($25,000+ annually) ADTRAN, Inc. al.com / The Huntsville Times BBVA Compass Bank The Boeing Company City of Madison Emerson Network Power - Avocent Lockheed Martin Corporation Madison County Commission Redstone Federal Credit Union Verizon Wireless
Executive Council ($15,000+ annually)
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April 2013 Initiatives
AT&T BB&T CINRAM, Inc. Crestwood Medical Center Intergraph Corporation North Alabama Multiple Listing Service Northrop Grumman Corporation PARSONS Qualitest Pharmaceuticals SES Wells Fargo Bank WEUP / Hundley Batts & Associates Insurance Agency
Chamber Trustees ($10,000+ annually) AEgis Technologies Group Aerojet Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama Booz Allen Hamilton, Inc. Dynetics, Inc. First Commercial Bank Jerry Damson, Inc. L-3 Communications Corporation – Huntsville Operations Lamar Outdoor Advertising, Inc.
Progress Partners
Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne, P.C. Look Outdoor Advertising, Inc. Navistar Diesel of Alabama, LLC Raytheon Company S3 SAIC SportsMed Orthopaedic Spine & Surgery Center Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. Wyle CAS Group
($5,000+ annually)
Ability Plus Analytical Services, Inc. A-P-T Research, Inc. Available Plastics BAE Systems Barge, Waggoner, Sumner & Cannon, Inc. Baron Services, Inc. BASF Catalysts, LLC Beason & Nalley, Inc. The Bentley Automotive Group Bill Penney Toyota-Mitsubishi BlueCreek Investment Partners Bradley Arant Boult Cummings LLP Cadence Bank Clearview Cancer Institute Coates Transportation Group Coldwell Banker Commercial McLain Real Estate Colliers International Connected Logistics Consolidated Construction Company Davidson Technologies, Inc. ERC, Inc. hibu, publisher of Yellow Book
Huntsville-Madison County Builders Association iBERIABANK Intuitive Research & Technology Corporation J. Smith Lanier & Co. Joe H. Ritch Kudzu Productions, Inc. Landers McLarty Corporation LEAN Frog Business Solutions, Inc. LogiCore MTS, Inc. The Orthopaedic Center Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc. Progress Bank QinetiQ North America Radiance Technologies, Inc. Rosie’s Restaurants & Right Way Restaurants (dba Steak Out) Strata-G Torch Technologies Turner URS U.S. Space & Rocket Center Wilmer & Lee, P.A. Woody Anderson Ford
Progress Investors ($2,500+ annually) Alpha Beta Technologies, Inc. Amanda Howard Real Estate Anglin Reichmann Snellgrove & Armstrong, PC Averbuch Realty Co. Inc. / Averbuch Enterprises Aviagen, Inc. Bama Jammer, Inc. BancorpSouth Brown Precision, Inc. Bryant Bank CB&S Bank Century Automotive CFD Research Corporation Chapman Sisson Architects, Inc. Coast Personnel Services deciBel Research Decisive Analytics Corporation Decosimo Certified Public Accountants DESE Research, Inc. Digium, Inc. Ducommun Miltec First Financial Group Wealth Management Fite Building Company, Inc. Foreign Language Services, Inc. Fountain, Parker, Harbarger & Associates, LLC 4SITE, Inc. GATR Technologies Gray Research, Inc. Halsey Foodservice HEMSI Hiley Cars Huntsville Huntsville Botanical Garden
Huntsville/Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau Huntsville Tractor & Equipment, Inc. Investor’s Resource/Raymond James Financial Services KPS Group Leadership Huntsville/Madison County, Inc. Moog, Inc. National Bank of Commerce PALCO Telecom Service, Inc. PeopleTec PFM Group PHOENIX Pinnacle Solutions, Inc. PROJECTXYZ, Inc. QTEC, Inc. Qualis Corporation Renasant Bank RJ Young scsworx ServisFirst Bank Sierra Lobo, Inc. Sigmatech, Inc. Spencer Companies Incorporated Synapse Wireless, Inc. Systems Products and Solutions, Inc. The Surgery Center of Huntsville Wesfam Restaurants, Inc. (Burger King) West Huntsville Land Co., Inc. WHNT-TV WILL Technology, Inc. Worthington Federal Bank
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April 2013 Initiatives
initiatives
Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
Cummings Research Park, The Boeing Company building (photo by E. Schultz)
april 2013 on the cover
Global Operations How the Rest of the World Does Business from Huntsville Stories include Around the World in 30 Years Huntsville’s Globetrotters Huntsville International
18 20 32
features Economic Development Highlights
Huntsville Botanical Garden
including Lockheed Martin, New Century Technology High School, DESE Research, MTS, Radiance Technologies, Teledyne Brown Engineering, Wyle, Raytheon, Intergraph, LINE-X, GaN and Flint River Animal Hospital
Big Spring Park, downtown Huntsville (photo by T. England)
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.
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#GetSocial @Huntsvillealcoc 1 4 Looking Back to Move Forward 2 2 Small Business Center Stage 2 4 Spotlight on Small Business 2 8 NASA’s Space Launch System 30 Non•Profit Center Stage 3 3
developments HREGI Investors Listing Chamber Board Listing Community Profile Small Business Training Series 2013 Annual Membership Meeting Chamber Staff Listing
4 8 16 17 26 34
editorial staff
Publisher Chip Cherry, cce Executive Editor Patricia C. McCarter
mission The mission of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
Editorial Designer Kristi Sherrard
contact Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
ontributing Writers Marian Accardi, Kimberly Ballard, C Anne Burkett, Harrison Diamond, Patricia McCarter and Ken Smith
is to prepare, develop and promote our community for economic growth. 225 Church Street, Huntsville, AL 35801 main line: 256.535.2000 fax: 256.535.2015 www.asmartplace.com
Photography Chamber of Commerce staff, publications and archive unless otherwise noted
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.
Advertising Sales Chad Ludwig AL.com / The Huntsville Times cludwig@al.com
online www.hsvchamber.org fyi
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Chamber of Commerce
Executive Committee and Board of Directors 2013 Executive Committee
A Message from Chip Cherry Dear Chamber of Commerce Investors, Community Leaders and Friends: The advantage of being a newcomer is seeing the community with a fresh set of eyes. Take foreign trade for example. Many would think of Huntsville as a Federal City with little foreign trade activity. The reality is much different from the perception! Here are a few examples: • The three-dimensional modeling for both the London and Beijing Olympics was done by a local company. • One of the global leaders in communications technology (we would argue the leader) grew up here. • The majority of American-made transparencies used in global commercial aviation is produced here. • Components of GE’s new Gen-X aircraft engines are manufactured here. • DVDs manufactured here are exported abroad. Those are a few examples. Here’s another: Ever consider that the U.S. Space & Rocket Center both imports foreign tourism and exports its program to other countries? A few years ago I visited the Space Camp facility in Izmir, Turkey. The team at the Space & Rocket Center has relationships with facilities throughout the world. It is a great example of knowledge exportation. If you think of foreign trade as attracting foreign capital, then you have to look no further than Toyota. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama is in the process of completing its fourth expansion in a little over 10 years. TMMAL invested millions of dollars in our community, and when the expansion is complete, it will employ more than 1,200 people. Toyota is but one example of foreign companies investing in our region. Another aspect to consider is foreign military sales which are being handled through the United States Army Security Assistance Command at Redstone. In addition to generating additional sales for our military contractors and manufacturers, they provide a significant impact on our hospitality industry. Add to the blend agricultural and forest products, and you have a better understanding of just how globally connected our community is. We are truly blessed to have numerous international connections which make our economy both dynamic and resilient.
Chip Cherry, CCE President & CEO Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
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April 2013 Initiatives
Ron Poteat, Chair, Regions Bank Robert Mayes, Chair-Elect, BlueCreek Investment Partners Jim Bolte, Immediate Past Chair, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama Tommy Beason, Chamber Foundation Chair, Consultant Joe Newberry, Secretary/Treasurer, Redstone Federal Credit Union Rey Almodóvar, Vice Chair - Economic Development, INTUITIVE Rose Allen, Vice Chair - Government Affairs, Booz Allen Hamilton Everett Brooks, Vice Chair - Membership, AEgis Technologies Group Danny Windham, Vice Chair - Workforce, Digium Kim Lewis, Vice Chair - Small Business, PROJECTXYZ Gary Bolton, Vice Chair - Research & Information Services, ADTRAN Dr. O’Neal Smitherman, Vice Chair - Image Development, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
Mayor Tommy Battle, Chair-Appointed, City of Huntsville Penny Billings, Chair-Appointed, BancorpSouth Frederick Lanier, Chair-Appointed, J. Smith Lanier & Co. David Spillers, Chair-Appointed, Huntsville Hospital Chairman Dale Strong, Chair-Appointed, Madison Co. Commission Mayor Troy Trulock, Chair-Appointed, City of Madison Chip Cherry, CCE, President & CEO, Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
Elected Board
Joe Alexander, Alexander Consulting Dr. Robert Altenkirch, UAHuntsville Bob Baron, Baron Services Dr. Marc Bendickson, Dynetics Miranda Bouldin, LogiCore Greg Bragg, Consolidated Construction Company Micah Bullard, Turner Kevin Byrnes, Raytheon Company Kevin Campbell, Northrop Grumman Corporation Frank Caprio, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings Glenn Clayton, Appleton Learning Joe Collazo, COLSA Corporation Mark Curran, L-3 Communications Corporation - Huntsville Operations Gene Goldman, Aerojet John Gully, SAIC Natalie Hasley, Bama Jammer Steve Hassell, Emerson Network Power - Avocent John Holly, Lockheed Martin Corporation Tharon Honeycutt, MSB Analytics Dr. Pam Hudson, Crestwood Medical Center Dr. Andrew Hugine, Alabama A&M University Tony Jones, The Boeing Company Jeremiah Knight, Verizon Wireless Call Center Rich Marsden, Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne Angie McCarter, Davidson Technologies Elizabeth Morard, Qualis Corporation Jim Owens, BBVA Compass George Prueitt, Wyle Tom Ray, Look Outdoor Advertising Alicia Ryan, LSINC Dr. Gurmej Sandhu, Sigmatech Charlie Sealy, Sealy Management Company Crystal Shell, WILL Technology E.J. Sinclair, Science and Engineeering Services (SES) Dr. Ashok Singhal, CFD Research Corporation Todd Slyman, Village of Providence Jan Smith, S 3 Cynthia Streams, Domino’s Pizza (Valley Pizza) Nilmini Thompson, Systems Products and Solutions
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY
Lockheed Martin Gives $40,000 to New Century Technology High Lockheed Martin hopes to encourage potential scientists and engineers by providing a $40,000 grant to New Century Technology High School (NCTHS) over the next three years. The funds are for Project Lead the Way, a series of hands-on, project-based engineering and biomedical science courses that engage students on multiple levels, expose them to areas of study that they typically do not pursue, and provide them with a foundation and proven path to college and career success. Lockheed Martin supports the PLTW engineering program, and funds at NCTHS in the 2012-2013 school year were used to purchase robotic kits. Areas of study include medical, computer, and aerospace technologies. Some of the "tech electives" you will see include modeling and simulation; app and game development; computer programming; forensics; genetic technologies; robotics; and cyber security. “As Lockheed Martin celebrates our 50-year anniversary in Huntsville this year, we are proud to be a strong supporter of our local community and in STEM education,” said Melanie Baker, director of the Air and Missile Defense Program for Corporate Business Development at Lockheed. “Of our 120,000+ employees worldwide, we have 70,000 engineers and scientists. Our partnership with Project Lead the Way and NCTHS ensures we will continue to prepare our future workforce to meet the technology demands of our customers.” Huntsville City School Superintendent Dr. Casey Wardynski
said, “Partnerships and support from our local businesses provide the resources to offer programs of excellence, such as Project Lead the Way, to our students.”
L-R: Lt. Gen. Dennis Cavin (ret.), Lockheed Martin; Dr. Casey Wardynski, Huntsville City Schools; Stewart Thorson, New Century Technology High School; Melanie Baker, Lockheed Martin; and Lucia Cape, Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County.
DESE Research, MTS Receive Boeing Performance Awards The Boeing Company recently announced winners of its Performance Excellence Awards, and among those were Huntsville-based DESE Research and MTS. Boeing Company named DESE Research Inc. a recipient in the gold category and MTS a silver category winner. DESE is one of 153 suppliers to receive the gold level of recognition for “superior performance.” The company maintained a gold composite performance rating for each month from Oct. 1, 2011, to Sept. 30, 2012. DESE, founded in 1982, has supported Boeing's Ground-based Missile Defense program as a subcontractor since 2001. “It is very gratifying to have our work supporting Boeing recognized through receipt of this prestigious award,” DESE Research CEO Wallace Kirkpatrick said in a statement. MTS maintained a Silver composite performance rating for each month of the 12-month performance period, ending Sept. 30, 2012. MTS is one of 441 suppliers to receive the Silver level of recognition. This is MTS’ second year in a row to receive this award. MTS provides logistics and maintenance support to Boeing in support of the International Space Station. • 10
April 2013 Initiatives
NCTHS is a public school of choice, open to students within Huntsville City Schools. Its mission is to connect academic pursuits with business goals. •
NASA Selects Three Companies for Engineering Solutions, Products to MSFC The companies are Radiance Technologies, Inc. and Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. of Huntsville, and Wyle Laboratories, Inc. of Houston. The performance-based, cost-reimbursement fixedfee, indefinite-delivery, indefinite-quantity contracts have a potential value of $350 million. The contracts have a fiveyear performance period with a minimum order quantity value of $1 million. Under the contract, the three companies will compete to provide engineering solutions and products for design, development, test, evaluation, operations and training in support of MSFC flight projects, human and robotic exploration, science and technology development, future programs/projects, and other MSFC organizations that have similar needs. •
~ continued on page 14
Raytheon delivered the first Standard Missile-6 all-up-round to the U.S. Navy from its new integration and testing facility in Huntsville on Feb. 28. SM-6 defends naval vessels against fixed- and rotary-wing aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and cruise missiles. “SM-6 is a game-changing, transformational fleet defense missile, and we’re on track to reach initial operating capability this year,” said Dr. Taylor W. Lawrence, president of Raytheon Missile Systems. “Our state-of-the-art production facility in Huntsville will play a significant role in delivering this asset to the U.S. Navy on time and on budget for years to come.” Raytheon opened the doors of its new $75 million, 70,000 square-foot, all-up-round production facility at Redstone Arsenal in November. The facility features advanced tools and the latest processes for missile production, enabling Raytheon to streamline processes, reduce costs and add increased value for the warfighter. “The SM-6’s capabilities signal a new era in fleet defense for our U.S. Navy warfighters,” said Wes Kremer, vice president of Air and Missile Defense Systems for Raytheon Missile Systems. “The Huntsville team is fully committed to delivering this missile to our country’s sailors with the kind of mission assurance they’ve come to rely on.” During a September test, SM-6 destroyed a cruise missile target using a remote cue from Raytheon’s JLENS. The test was a significant step toward further extending a ship’s defended footprint. •
Courtesy of Raytheon Company
Raytheon Delivers First Standard Missile-6 From New Facility
An SM-6 missile is loaded into a specialized container at Raytheon Redstone Missile Integration Facility for delivery to the U.S. Navy.
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS continued from page 13
Intergraph, LINE-X Win Governor’s Trade Excellence Awards Gov. Robert Bentley on March 6 presented the Governor’s Trade Excellence Awards to eight Alabama companies that are excelling in international trade. Intergraph Corporation of Madison and LINE-X, LLC, Huntsville were among the recipients of Gov. Bentley’s accolades. “The success of these companies shows how Alabama products are reaching a global marketplace,” Gov. Bentley said. “These companies are taking advantage of the tools available to them to serve customers all over the world. The Export Alabama Alliance is connecting Alabama companies with exciting new opportunities, and that’s good business for this state.” Increasing exports from Alabama companies is a major priority in the Accelerate Alabama long-term economic development plan. Exports increase company profitability and help create and support new jobs. “All of these companies are leaders in Alabama for exports,” Alabama Department of Commerce Secretary Greg Canfield said. “By expanding their markets beyond those of the state and the U.S., they are creating high-paying jobs that support families, sustain jobs and make a major impact on the local and state economies.” The U.S. Department of Commerce states that for every $1 billion in exports, 5,000 jobs are supported. Applied to Alabama’s $19.5 billion in exports, an estimated 97,500 jobs are supported by exporting from this state. The Governor’s Trade Excellence Awards Program was established in 2005 to recognize Alabama manufacturers and service companies for excelling in international trade. The objectives of this program include identifying Alabama’s successful exporters, promoting exporters as role models to the Alabama business community and increasing awareness of the impact of exporting on Alabama’s economy. •
L-R representing Intergraph: Ivor Fredrickson (Director, Financial Planning & Analysis, PP&M Division; Kerry Fehrenbach (Director, Global Marketing - SG&I Division); Tony Zana (Vice President, General Counsel); Mayor Troy Trulock (Madison); Steven Cost (CFO, SG&I Division); Gov. Bentley; Ed Porter (Executive VP); Scott Moore (CFO – PP&M Division); and John Graham (President, SG&I Division).
L-R representing LINE-X: Paul DeSmet, Executive Vice President; Steve Decker, Vice President of International Operations & PAXCON; Gov. Bentley; Janet Mayo, International Development Associate; and Tim Garner, Chief Financial Officer.
GaN, Flint River Animal Hospital Are U.S. Chamber Winners Two local companies have been named Blue Ribbon Small Business Award® winners by the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Geeks and Nerds Corporation (GaN) and Flint River Animal Hospital were recognized for their dedication to the principles of free enterprise and contributions to restoring jobs and prosperity. “The Blue Ribbon Award winners show that, even facing uncertainty and economic challenges, small businesses can grow and succeed,” said Thomas J. Donohue, U.S. Chamber president and CEO. “They are America’s economic engine, driving growth and job creation all across this country.” The awards program, sponsored by Sam’s Club®, honors companies that demonstrate excel12
April 2013 Initiatives
lent business practices in several areas including strategy, employee development, community involvement, and customer service. This year’s 100 Blue Ribbon winners were selected from a record number of nationwide applicants and will be honored at America’s Small Business Summit 2013, April 29 - May 1 in Washington, D.C. On Feb. 15, seven of the Blue Ribbon recipients were announced as award finalists, and one will be named the DREAM BIG Small Business of the Year during the summit. The winner will be presented with a $10,000 cash prize courtesy of the U.S. Chamber. To learn more about America’s Small Business Summit, visit www.uschambersummit.com. •
Economic Development Highlights compiled by Patricia McCarter
Huntsville on List of “Improving Housing Markets” The number of improving housing markets continued to expand for a sixth consecutive month to a total of 259 metropolitan areas on the National Association of Home Builders/First American Improving Markets Index (IMI) for February. This is up from 242 markets listed as improving in January, and includes entrants from all 50 states and the District of the Columbia. The IMI identifies metro areas that have shown improvement from their respective troughs in housing permits, employment and house prices for at least six consecutive months. A total of 20 new metros were added to the list and three were dropped from it this month. Newly added metros include such geographically diverse locations as Rome, Ga.; Fort Wayne, Ind.; Myrtle Beach, S.C.; Albuquerque, N.M.; HUNTSVILLE, AL, and Racine, Wis. “The fact that all 50 states now have at least one metro on the improving list shows that the housing recovery has substantial momentum and continues to expand from one market to the next,” said 2013 NAHB Chairman Rick Judson, a home builder from Charlotte, N.C. “Of course, there is still
much room for improvement in metros that have not yet been listed as well as those that have, and we know that a key factor slowing this progress is today’s overly stringent mortgage standards that are keeping qualified buyers on the sidelines.” “Just over 70 percent of the 361 metros covered by the IMI are listed as improving this month,” said NAHB Chief Economist David Crowe. “That’s a far cry from when we initiated this index with just 12 improving metros in September of 2011 for the purpose of highlighting places that didn’t fit the mold of the national headlines. Today, the story is about how widespread the recovery has become as conditions steadily improve in markets nationwide.” “The continued expansion of improving housing markets in February should help convince those who have been considering a home purchase that now is the time to go forward with those plans,” said Kurt Pfotenhauer, vice chairman of First American Title Insurance Company. The IMI is designed to track housing markets throughout the country that are showing signs of improving economic health. The index measures three sets of independent monthly data to get a mark on the top improving Metropolitan Statistical Areas. The three indicators that are analyzed are employment growth from the Bureau of Labor Statistics, house price appreciation from Freddie Mac and single-family housing permit growth from the U.S. Census Bureau. NAHB uses the latest available data from these sources to generate a list of improving markets. A metropolitan area must see improvement in all three measures for at least six consecutive months following those measures’ respective troughs before being included on the improving markets list. A complete list of all 259 metropolitan areas currently on the IMI, and separate breakouts of metros newly added to or dropped from the list in February, is available at www.nahb.org/imi. A state-by-state listing of metro areas on the list is also available at: www.nahb.org/imi. •
Membership, Industrial Directory Updates Now Available The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County’s 2013 Membership Directory is now available. It contains updated and verified information on more than 2,100 Chamber member businesses. The directory not only lists the businesses by category but also they are listed alphabetically for quick reference. The cost of the directory is $20 for Chamber MEMBERS and $70 for NON-MEMBERS. Updated inserts may be purchased for $15 until Nov. 1. Directories may be picked up at the front desk of the Chamber or mailed for $3.25 per directory. If you choose to have your directory mailed, please allow 8-10 business days. To purchase the membership directory online, visit bit.ly/cocmembers. Also, the Chamber has released an update to the 20122013 Industrial Directory. It includes 40+ additional companies located in Cummings Research Park as well as updated contact information on existing data. Updated inserts may be purchased through Nov. 1 for $30 if you previously purchased the 2012-2013 directory. Directories may be picked up at the front desk of the Chamber or mailed for $3.25 per directory. If you choose to have your directory mailed, please allow 8-10 business days. To purchase the industrial directory online, go to bit.ly/ cocindustrial. For more information or questions, call 256-535-2000 or email info@hsvchamber.org. • Initiatives April 2013
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#GetSocial with
@Huntsvillealcoc #socialmedia Do you think social media is just a passing trend? Think again. If Facebook was a country, it would be the third-largest in the world (1 billion members as of October 2012); 750 Tweets are sent every minute; there are now 1 million LinkedIn groups. Social media is everywhere, and with advances in smart phones, it is spreading like wildfire and becoming more of a primary source for news. The Chamber is utilizing social media more to communicate its message about how Huntsville/Madison County is a smart place to live, work and play and how the Chamber works to prepare, develop and promote this community for economic growth. Navigating the social media realm can be daunting for any organization. New sites pop up like weeds. The Chamber recently met with Huntsville-based Digium for a social media boot camp on how the Chamber can better use these media to engage members of the Chamber’s news and to drive benefit back to the membership.
#drivingvalue Members of the marketing team for Digium – the open source alternative to proprietary communication providers – discussed the various platforms the company uses such as Facebook, Twitter, LinkedIn and others to stay engaged with the customer base as well as attract new customers. The Chamber also learned social media can be used in nonconventional ways. One of Digium’s more popular campaigns involved a “Flat Mark” campaign, in which Digium staffers and customers took pictures with a paper cut out of Mark Spencer, Digium’s founder and Chief Technology Officer. People then posted pictures of themselves in various locations with “Flat Mark.” “One campaign we are excited to do this year is ‘The Chamber is Sweet on Small Business,’” said Pammie Jimmar, the Chamber’s small business and events director and one of the participants in the social media boot camp. “Supporting the community’s small businesses is vitally important as they are part of our fabric. It means so much to those small businesses to know that the Chamber is there for them.” As part of the campaign, the Chamber visits small businesses and brings them a “sweet” token of appreciation for all they do. The pictures from the visit are posted to Facebook with the name and address of the business. The Chamber currently utilizes several social media outlets and is always looking for ways to improve that presence to drive value to its Chamber members. Examples include posting every ribbon cutting and groundbreaking in a Facebook album called “Our Growing Business Community”, Tweeting live from the Annual Membership Meeting and other major events, and posting videos of economic development announcements to YouTube. • Harrison Diamond 14
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#connectwithus Are you on social media? You can follow the Chamber on your favorite sites.
On Facebook: facebook.com/HuntsvilleAlabama
On Twitter: @huntsvillealcoc
On YouTube: huntsvillealabamausa
shutterstock.com – VLADGRIN
On LinkedIn: Look up Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/ Madison County in company pages http://www.linkedin.com/ company/chamber-of-commerce-of-huntsville-madison-county
On Flickr: www.flickr.com/photos/huntsvillealabamausa/sets
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community profile
TOP 10 EMPLOYERS Redstone Arsenal* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 31,506*
Population
Madison County
City of Huntsville
2010 Census
334,811
180,105
42,938
417,593
Huntsville Hospital System . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7,129
2012 Census
343,080
182,956
43,685
430,734
Huntsville City Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3,000
2.5% 1.6% 1.7% 3.1%
The Boeing Company . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,600
% Growth
City of Huntsville Madison Metro Area
Madison County Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,389
Households & Income* # of Households
130,791
15,536
162,405
Avg. Household Income $76,967
$69,581 $110,828
$74,407
Per Capita Income
$29,949
$29,550
$30,845
NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center* . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6,000
75,230
$40,994
Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov), *2011 American Community Survey
SAIC . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,229 City of Huntsville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2,206 UAHuntsville . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,660 CINRAM . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1,450 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 37,500 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 300 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
The Chamber’s Small Business Training Series is a professional training program designed to address the needs of businesses – large or small – to provide valuable professional development and strengthen its workforce. The series includes a number of topics by local business leaders.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
Creating a Successful Business Plan Thursday, April 11 Presented by Steven Levy, SEL & Associates
A Lesson in Business Development: Strategy+Investment+Time = Growth Wednesday, May 8 Presented by Craig Seabrook, Seabrook Solutions To register for any of these events as well as to check for updates or upcoming events, go to HSVchamber.org. Questions? Call Mitzi Floyd at (256) 535-2089. For SBTS partnership opportunities, please email mfloyd@hsvchamber.org.
SBTS Gold Sponsors: AEgis Technologies Group • Baron Services, Inc. Initiatives April 2013
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rom protective coatings for oil pipelines in Saudi Arabia and rescue boats in Thailand to weather radar systems in Paraguay, Madison County products and services are increasingly being found and sought after all around the world. Thirty years ago, a group of forward-thinking business and community leaders came together to determine how Madison County and its businesses could position themselves to take advantage of an emerging global marketplace. This proactive group realized that education was essential to facilitating trade, and their work led to the formation of the North Alabama International Trade Association (NAITA) in 1983. The Madison County Commission embraced this vision and provided the framework and support for NAITA to be the regional resource for international trade development. NAITA, a non-profit public/private partnership between county government and the business community, continues to provide education, networking, advocacy and guidance for market diversification outside our borders. NAITA’s international business strategy is guided by a board of 20-plus members representing industry, economic development groups and service providers. Firms such as Aviagen, Intergraph, PPG and QinetiQ North America are represented on the board, along with agencies such as the Port of Huntsville, the North Alabama Industrial Development Association and the Shoals Economic Development Authority. Service providers on board include attorneys, freight forwarders, cargo and logistics services and educational institutions. “In many cases, NAITA is a local company’s
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first point of contact when they begin exploring export opportunities,” said Amanda Berkey, senior international trade specialist with the Madison County Commission. “NAITA’s strong local government partner, the Madison County Commission, provides research and one-on-one counseling to companies to help them export successfully, and it provides assistance in export controls and compliance – which is critical for North Alabama’s aerospace, defense and high-tech companies.” NAITA assists with international trade seminars and training in areas such as export controls and compliance, foreign military sales, logistics and finance, specific overseas markets, free trade agreements and the mechanics of exporting and importing. Education continues to be a significant factor in facilitating global growth, and the trade association has hosted nationallysponsored and recognized seminars. Last year the NAITA Export Control Update Conference brought key leaders and decision makers for export control regulations from Washington D.C. to Huntsville, providing the best possible resources for the local business community in this arena. Attendees heard the latest developments on
NAITA Promotes Economic Growth Through Education and Networking
Export Control Reform and how changes in the export control regulations will affect their business. MG (Ret.) Duz Packett, president of Bonham Technologies, said, “Meeting our local professionals as well as listening to subject matter experts was a real highlight of the Export Control Update Conference. The program was organized well, the setting was just right, and the agenda was first class.” An out-of-town participant commented that he had attended many conferences dealing with topics from export compliance, contracting, transportation, safety, and quality management, and that the NAITA conference was one of the best organized and most informative that he had attended: “The presenters were all very knowledgeable and capable speakers facilitated intelligent and meaningful discussions.” NAITA kicked off its 30th Anniversary Year with a program focusing on the 2013 Global Outlook & the Internationalization of R&D. Martin Grueber, Research Leader with Battelle Technology Partnership Practice, and co-author of the annual Battelle/ R&D Magazine Global R&D Funding Forecast, stated that “global research and development (R&D) spending is forecast to grow by 3.7 percent – or $53.7 billion – in 2013 to $1.5 trillion. While much remains uncertain about the future of the U.S. R&D enterprise, China’s march to prominence in
the global R&D arena remains constant and strong, accounting for $23 billion on the coming year’s projected growth.” R&D investments have become highly competitive among nations, with each looking to outspend the others to maintain a competitive edge. This internationalization of R&D now pits the U.S., China, Japan and the EU against each other, and other emerging economies have developed strong R&D programs that are now challenging the U.S. dominance in a number of specific areas. Industries highlighted included life science, information and communications technologies, aerospace/defense/security, energy, and chemicals and advanced materials. NAITA’s Pearl Jubilee 30th Anniversary Year will be a continuous celebration of educational and networking activities. Highlights include
the NAITA BB&T Pearl Jubilee Scholarship Golf Tournament on May 6, at The Ledges; the International Trade Summit in Washington D.C. on April 22, in conjunction with the Chamber’s Annual D.C. Trip; foreign military sales briefings, including industry updates from the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC); the 2nd Annual Global Supply Chain & Logistics Summit in partnership with the Export Alabama Alliance; and the Pearl Jubilee World Trade Day Gala planned for September 2013. Trade brings increased jobs, revenue and economic diversification. Gov. Robert Bentley recently announced that Alabama’s export shipments of merchandise in 2012 totaled a record-breaking $19.5 billion, a 9.36% increase over 2011 exports. Since 2009, Alabama exports have increased by 59%. Last year, Alabama products were shipped to 188 countries with the top five destinations being Canada, Germany, China, Mexico and Japan. Following Gov. Bentley’s announcement, Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield said, “Seeing Alabama exports increase 59% from 2009 to 2012 is one of the most encouraging and impressive numbers we have witnessed in exports. Demand for Alabama-made goods throughout the world is surging, and we will continue to support our companies in these endeavors.” Part of the state’s support comes through the Export Alabama Alliance – a seamless network of trade professionals across the state with the fundamental objective to help Alabama companies grow their business internationally. NAITA and the Madison County Commission team with this statewide alliance to ensure that companies are accessing the many free and low cost federal, state and local trade assistance resources available. Visit www.naita.org for further information and to take advantage of global opportunities. • Editor’s Note: Anne Burkett is the Executive Director of NAITA. She contributed this article.
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Some of Huntsville’s Globetrotters Local Companies Excel at Doing Business With the Rest of the World Aladdin Light Lift Inc. specializes in the production of a motorized winch system to raise and lower decorative lighting from high ceilings. This aids in chandelier installation from floor level and the ease of cleaning and light bulb changing. The Aladdin Light Lift system – a chandelier lift capable of lifting up to 1,000 pounds for residential or commercial use – was created in 1991 by John Falls of Memphis. In January 2012, Aladdin relocated its headquarters to a larger manufacturing facility in Huntsville. In Aladdin’s 22-year history, it has sold more than 300,000 light lifts in the United States. Aladdin modified its product line to include an international version, and it is now represented by prominent lighting retailers and importers in eight countries, including Australia, Germany, Italy, Japan, Russia, Singapore, Turkey and the United Kingdom. Aladdin was able to achieve steady growth overseas with the support of such organizations as NAITA, the U.S. Department of Commerce (USDOC) and the Alabama Department of Commerce. Aladdin has benefitted from the expert knowledge of these organizations in areas such as market research, country specific partnership searches and in-country travel and meetings arranged through the USDOC Gold Key Service. Each agency hosts numerous networking opportunities through market briefings on specific countries and various trade topic events. For more information on Aladdin, please visit www.aladdinlightlift.com.
Aviagen is the world's leading poultry breeding company and has developed pedigree lines for broiler chickens under the Ross, Arbor Acres and Indian River brand names. The company is headquartered in Huntsville, with a number of wholly-owned operations across the United Kingdom, Europe, Latin America, Brazil, India, Australia, New Zealand and the U.S. It has joint ventures in Europe, South Africa, Turkey and Asia. With 260 production facilities across the globe, Aviagen provides day-old broiler breeder chicks and hatching eggs to customers in 130 countries around the world, including North America, Central America, South America, Asia, Europe, the Middle East, and Africa. Aviagen North America has been exporting chicks for more than 15 years. The company employs approximately 3,200 people worldwide. These employees originate from more than 40 different countries and speak more than 26 languages. Within Alabama, Aviagen has 344 fulltime employees. Aviagen invests heavily in its workforce, resulting in steady employment. More than 40 percent of current employees have been with the company for 10 years or longer, and 10 percent have been with the company more than 20 years. The annual economic impact of Aviagen business in Alabama is estimated at more than $156 million. Aviagen received the Governor’s Trade Excellence Award in 2008 and the NAITA Global Trade Award in 2010. For more information about Aviagen and its products, visit www.aviagen.com.
Baron Services, headquartered in Huntsville, has products that span the globe and serve government and consumer markets with state-of-the-science weather technologies and integrated solutions. With numerous patents in weather technology, Baron is an expert in weather integration, data analysis and processing, modeling and radar manufacturing. In partnership with other firms, Baron Services is nearing completion on an upgrade of the nation’s system of 171 NWS Doppler radars to dual-polarity and making XMWX Satellite Weather available through SiriusXM in general aviation aircraft and personal watercraft. Baron also delivers weather and road conditions to personal vehicles and now offers web-delivered meteorological data streams for integration into a range of devices and services. Baron began moving into the international market in 2001 and is now doing business in Paraguay, Romania, Taiwan, Brunei, Saudi Arabia, Indone20
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sia and Uzbekistan. In the international marketplace, Baron's versatile IONS (Integrated Observational Network Solution) architecture enables turn-key integration of meteorological technologies, including radar and automated weather sensors; numerical weather prediction, hydrological modeling and more. Despite quick company growth, Baron’s mission has remained the same for more than 20 years: To produce tools that provide accurate, site-specific weather information. The company philosophy is solidified by technology and people committed to saving lives. For more information on Baron Services, please visit www.baronservices.com.
Crews install the radome of a new Dual Polarization S-band Doppler Weather Radar in Brunei as part of their infrastructure modernization project to provide accurate weather tracking and prediction.
Rescue ONE Connector Boats is a leading provider of versatile boats for the fire, rescue and law enforcement industry. Founded in 1992 and now located in Madison, Rescue ONE provides the market with high quality, mission-specific rescue boats. Because of its shallow draft, durable all-welded construction and patented ability to connect multiple boats together to form larger platforms, barges, and bridges, Rescue ONE has become a preferred solution for worldwide agencies to address flood response with the ever increasing frequency of devastating floods. While the company has traditionally focused on the local, state, and federal markets, the last four years have seen a large increase in international business. Rescue ONE received the Governor’s Trade Excellence Award in 2009 for its exports to the United Kingdom and Canada. Since that time, Rescue ONE has expanded its presence in the United Kingdom and Canada. It has entered South America and Southeast Asia. In 2011, the company saw orders for 13 boats to Laos and two to Thailand. Just recently, Rescue ONE was awarded a contract for 75 boats to equip the Thai rescue service with flood response packages to cover the entire country of Thailand. This order will ship by June. The company is poised for continued international growth. Rescue ONE is currently working projects in Malaysia, Mexico, Saudi Arabia and other countries around the globe. Domestic business is constant and growing, but exporting is seen as the method by which the company will achieve long term growth and success. For more information on Rescue ONE, please visit www.rescueone.com. • Initiatives April 2013
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Looking Back to Move Forward Year in Review by the Numbers
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espite concerns over the impact of sequestration and potential cuts to federal spending, the Huntsville/Madison County economy saw positive growth over the past year with several companies expanding and adding jobs in 2012. In total, 45 companies made industrial announcements creating 1,306 new jobs and $231 million in new capital investment. As the community’s economic base continues to diversify, industries not directly affected by federal spending are seeing growth. This has helped bolster the economic stability of the region in light of potential cuts to government programs. In 2012, growth from local companies has come in the technology, manufacturing and aviation sectors. Commercial and retail growth has also been impressive and residential construction has begun to rebound. Major announcements over the last year included the groundbreaking for Intergraph Corporation’s new $58 million headquarter building at the company’s current Madison campus location. The five-story, 250,000 square-foot building is scheduled for completion in 2014 and signifies Intergraph’s continued commitment to growing in the Tennessee Valley. Geocent, a Louisiana-based technology company providing software engineering services, announced the opening of a Huntsville office with 100 new employees. Other local tech companies such as AEgis Technologies, DeciBel Research, Analytical Services, Digium and Torch Technologies also created jobs. Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama (TMMAL) announced an additional $80 million expansion to its plant in North Huntsville Industrial Park. The plant, which manufactures V6, V8 and 4-cylinder en22
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gines, will add 125 new workers with the latest expansion. Local TMMAL President and 2012 Chamber Chair Jim Bolte credits the partnership with the community in Toyota’s latest expansion. “Not only is Toyota adding more jobs and investing in the local economy, but the cooperation received on all levels of government in the state of Alabama is helping other companies grow in our community as well,” Bolte said. Additional manufacturing companies announcing growth include Cinram, Brown Precision and Mitchell Plastics in Chase Industrial Park, Matsu Alabama in Jetplex Industrial Park and STI Electronics in Madison.
Aviation and logistics work managed on Redstone Arsenal is drawing new companies to the region with Alphaport Inc., Sierra Nevada Corporation and USfalcon all opening offices in the community in 2012. SES is also continuing to grow its work in helicopter refurbishment at the Jetplex Industrial Park. Other defense contractors saw growth in the past year including Lockheed Martin, Yulista Management Services, Sigmatech, MJLM Engineering & Technical Services and Jacobs Technology ESTS Group. Boeing also announced it will be moving offices to the new Redstone Gateway complex located near Gate 9, and Wyle CAS
Toyota Team Member Vance Newton, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama President Jim Bolte, Then-Madison County Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie, and Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle break ground on Toyota’s expansion at its plant in north Huntsville.
Then-Mayor of Madison Paul Finley, Then-Chairman of the Madison County Commission Mike Gillespie, Intergraph CEO Ola Rollén, Alabama Secretary of Commerce Greg Canfield, Intergraph Executive Vice President of Human Resources Ed Porter, and Then-Madison City Council Member Jerry Jennings prepare to break ground on the new $58 million, 250,000-square-foot Intergraph headquarters building in Madison.
2012 New & Expanding Industry Number of Companies
45
Announced New Jobs
1,306
Announced New Investment
$231,077,749
Unemployment Rate
6.6%
Total Construction
$755,186,000 +14%
Residential Construction
$386,523,000 +10%
Net Retail Absorption
739,276 sq. ft.
broke ground on a new $18 million facility in Cummings Research Park. The continued growth from industrial companies has helped the Huntsville metro area maintain an unemployment rate better than the state and the nation throughout the national economic recession. While the local unemployment rate has declined 1% over the past year, new growth in retail and commercial developments has far outpaced surrounding metros in the South with more than 700,000 square feet of net retail absorption in 2012. Residential construction is also on the rise with the construction value of new homes up 10% over 2011. Ron Poteat, North Alabama Area President of Region’s Bank and the Chamber’s Chair for 2013, remains cautiously optimistic on the outlook for the local economy. “We know we will face challenges as a community in the coming year,” Poteat said. “However we also know that means we will be working harder to make the most of every opportunity and to maintain an environment to help our local companies be successful.” • Ken Smith Initiatives April 2013
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Southern Jamm Security Protecting People and Property, Temporary or Full-Time
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ou’ve probably noticed Southern Jamm Security officers around town, working a mix of venues like Huntsville Stars games and UAHuntsville basketball games, nightclubs, Von Braun Center concerts and events like Santa’s Village and Panoply. The business – specializing in security services and crowd management – can staff an event with one officer to as many as 300 officers. “For a small business, I look a lot bigger than I am,” said Larry C. Blitch, the president and CEO of Southern Jamm Security, the Huntsville company that he founded in 1994. “We’re small enough to appreciate, large enough to accommodate.” The quality of services and the appearance of its officers – always in full uniform on the job – are the distinguishing features of the business, he said. “I believe in what I do, I have a lot of passion for the industry I’m in,” said Blitch, a Chicago native and a 39-year veteran of the security field. While working with Chicago’s Jam Productions in the late ‘70s and early ‘80s, Blitch provided security for performers like Prince, ZZ Top, The Rolling Stones, Black Sabbath, Blue Oyster Cult, AC/DC, Rush, Kiss, Elton John and Michael Jackson during the Victory Tour in 1984. Blitch worked in a supervisory position in security for the Chicago Cubs at Wrigley Field before he was hired as personal security for The Famous Chicken, also known as The San Diego Chicken. Then Blitch came to Huntsville for a twoweek vacation to visit some friends and, while he was here, decided to make the city his home. He joined the security staff at the Von 24
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If you get out now and then, you have probably seen Southern Jamm securing perimeters and monitoring the crowds at public venues such as Big Spring Jam, Panoply of the Arts, Brew Fest, WhistleStop BBQ Festival, Huntsville Stars Baseball games, UAH Basketball games, events at the Von Braun Center, various Night Clubs, hotels, auto dealers and construction sites.
Braun Center, where he worked for five years before launching Southern Jamm Security. At first, the business handled security for concerts and nightclubs. One of Southern Jamm Security’s first jobs was also its largest single event: a Lynyrd Skynyrd/Hank Williams Jr. concert outside Joe Davis Stadium in May 1995 that drew more than 20,000 people. The company was the sole provider of labor, handling security and lighting, taking tickets and even cleaning up after the concert. “I did everything but sing,” Blitch said. Southern Jamm Security, located on Leeman Ferry Road, hires experienced security personnel, with many of the officers having military backgrounds, and works closely with the Huntsville Police Department, Madison County Sheriff’s Department and HEMSI at events. Blitch said he has to be aggressive and keep pursuing more work to survive in a very competitive market. He has expanded the business over the years, adding a fleet of security vehicles and branching out with a corporate division that offers security services for office complexes, hotels, car dealerships and other retail establishments and construction sites. The company has remained a healthy operation, Blitch said, because of its commitment to each customer. Whether clients are hiring one officer or a couple hundred, “they are treated the same,” he said. “I take pride in each account I have.” Blitch says it’s important to him that the company represents its community well. “I’m a firm believer that my officers not only represent my company and the accounts but the community we work in.” • Marian Accardi Initiatives April 2013
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2013 Annual Membership Meeting John Stallworth named Distinguished Service Award winner; futurist encourages members to “Think Big, Think New, Think Quick”
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ormer Pittsburgh Steeler wide receiver/ NFL Hall of Famer John Stallworth was selected as the Distinguished Service Award winner at the Chamber’s Annual Membership Meeting. Outgoing Chamber Board Chair Jim Bolte said as impressive as Stallworth’s football career was – which included four Super Bowl victories and being Alabama A&M University’s all-time leading receiver – it was the man’s heart that led to him being chosen for the award. The retired football player – who went on to great success at Madison Research Corporation and Genesis II – founded the John Stallworth Foundation in 1980 to provide college scholarships to students attending his alma mater. Since 2002, his Foundation has hosted a golf tournament that brings many Pro Football Hall of Famers to town to raise money for students and to give many of those scholarship recipients a platform to tell how their lives have been positively affected. “More than 100 students have been able to go to college because of John Stallworth,” Bolte said as he presented Stallworth with his award in front of 1,000 Chamber members gathered at the Von Braun Center. “And we think that’s pretty amazing.” Stallworth, who said he was completely surprised by the award, said he was humbled to receive the honor. Also at the January meeting, Bolte gave the chairman’s gavel to Ron Poteat of Regions Bank, who will serve as board chair for 2013. The keynote speaker was international trends-and-technology thinker Mike Walsh. Poteat The name of his company is “Tomorrow,” and he recommended that Members give some heavy duty thoughts about tomorrow 26
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and where they want their businesses to be. Walsh – who is based in Australia and Turkey but travels the globe to explore emerging markets and the digital future – said the intelligence of the Huntsville community that took man to the moon can be reimagined and redirected to conquer and excel in “the next big thing.” And the next big thing could come from anywhere. He joked that parents shouldn’t discourage their chilWalsh dren from playing video games because new age executives often recruit the best gamers to come run their companies: “If you can lead a virtual team of dwarves and elves to attack an imaginary castle, it’s possible you can lead new technology into the evolving marketplace.” Walsh told bosses they should consider morphing typical office space into the kinds of places that employees want to be in, “even John Stallworth, recipient of the Distinguished Service Award
on their days off.” He said companies should diversify to protect against the unknowns of the future. He juxtaposed how Fuji and Kodak – both known best for their 35 mm camera film – dealt with the digital age. Kodak went bankrupt, but he said Fuji is thriving because it transitioned its film technology into the cosmetic and video screen markets. And while many people think of corporate competition as being something between nations, he envisions the future will be more about globally inter-connected cities. He also said “big data” will most definitely figure large into “the next big thing.” With Huntsville’s technological economy base, he said smart minds here should explore – with a military-grade operation mindset - the logistics of unlocking relevant data that companies want for marketing purposes. “Redirect your intelligence,” he said. • Patricia McCarter
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SPOTLIGHT ON SMALL BUSINESS: 2012 Small Business Award Winner Nonprofit of the Year
The National Children’s Advocacy Center was the winner of the Nonprofit of the Year at the Chamber’s Small Business Awards. Here’s an interview with the NCAC’s Executive Director, Chris Newlin: The history of NCAC and your role within it ... I am responsible for providing leadership and management of the NCAC and participating in national and international training and leadership activities regarding the protection of children. The NCAC was the first Children's Advocacy Center in the world, and continues to provide prevention and intervention services for child abuse in Huntsville/Madison County. It also houses the NCAC National Training Center, the Southern Regional Children’s Advocacy Center, and the Child Abuse Library Online (CALiO). I oversee a staff of 52 professionals and a yearly budget of $5 million. Over the past ten years, we have provided training in more than ten countries throughout the world and at numerous international conferences.
Q: What does the National Children’s Advocacy Center do? A: In 1985, U.S. Rep. Robert E. "Bud" Cramer, then district attorney, saw the need to create an efficient system for protecting abused and neglected children in Madison County. The result was the opening of the NCAC. Since then, the NCAC has helped establish more than 900 other children's advocacy centers nationwide and throughout the world. These programs have revolutionized our nation’s response to child abuse, serving more than 275,000 children in 2012 alone. According to the Centers for Disease Control, the lifetime cost to our nation for each case of confirmed child abuse is more than $210,000. Thus, this is more than just an issue of responding to child abuse. It is an issue affecting our nation’s health and economy. The NCAC believes that prevention is essential to ending cycles of abuse and neglect. SCAN (Stop Child Abuse and Neglect) is a personal safety program for children in grades 3, 5 and 7 in all local city and county schools. Other programs, such as Healthy Families, provides first-time or at-risk parents with necessary tools to raise healthy children and ensure that the family has a strong, positive bond. The NCAC National Training Center hosts the annual National Symposium on Child Abuse in Huntsville that educates professionals from all over the country. It hosts weekly trainings approximately 25 28
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Above: Chris Newlin accepting the finalist award for NCAC from Miranda Bouldin at the 2012 Small Business Awards. Below: Catherine Hereford and Chris Newlin representing NCAC as the 2012 Nonprofit of the Year.
weeks out of every year. These activities contribute significantly to the Huntsville/ Madison County economy as the NCAC has trained more than 70,000 professionals in the United States and more than 20 countries since 1985.
Q: What are your goals for NCAC for the next 5-10 years? A: We know that there is not an end to child abuse, and thus we will continue to operate our direct services for children and families. We would like to grow our endowment to $5 million so we can sustain our services in the long-term, continue to support the development of children’s advocacy centers both nationally and internationally, and increase the engagement of all sectors of our society in the protection of children.
Q: What did it mean to you, your staff and your volunteers to receive the award? A: Winning the Non-Profit of the Year Award demonstrated to our staff, volunteers and multidisciplinary team partners that our mission and work are valued and respected by our community. Many days we see the uglier side of humanity, and often with little or no recognition for not only the work we are doing, but also for the quality of this work. Being selected for this award validates those long days of struggle and pain. Additionally, it was an honor to receive the award given the outstanding works done by the other nominees and finalists for this award; and it has reinforced our commitment to be actively involved in every facet of the community where we can improve the lives of children.
Q: How has being active in the Chamber helped NCAC? A: Building collaborative relationships with other non-profits and businesses in town through Chamber activities has fueled the NCAC’s development for the past 27 years. Engaging our elected leaders through the various Chamber legislative activities has helped solidify our public-private partnership and served as a model for other communities throughout the world. • Compiled by Patricia McCarter Initiatives April 2013
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NASA’s Space Launch System Powering the Nation’s Next Heavy-Lift Rocket and Madison County s one of NASA’s largest campuses, the Marshall Space Flight Center in Huntsville has spent more than 50 years keeping the U.S. in the lead of space exploration. Now the Marshall Center is working at a fever pitch to take NASA into the future of human exploration of space. NASA has set its sights on a new mission to deep space and a new capability for the space program: a brand new heavy-lift rocket designed to send astronauts farther into space than humans had ever traveled before. NASA once again has turned to the Marshall Center to manage this effort, called the Space Launch System (SLS). Immediately after the announcement, the SLS team began developing the tools they would need to keep the development effort on budget and on schedule, including new methods of creating designs and new processes for conducting reviews. “Our goal was to become a leaner and more efficient program, based on lessons learned from previous successes by the agency,” said Todd May, SLS Program manager at the Marshall Center. “But even more important is to build a safe vehicle for our astronauts and one that can sustain exploration for years to come. We’re off to a great start.” The Marshall Center has led the development of every NASA rocket since 1960, including the Saturn V, and all the propulsion elements of the Space Shuttle Program. The agency is relying on that experience and expertise to create a vehicle that will make human exploration of deep space a reality and create new possibilities for scientific discovery. “The workforce at the Marshall Center is a national asset,” May said. “The vehicle we are designing will be the largest rocket ever built, providing the power we need to truly explore beyond our current limits.” The SLS initially will be capable of carrying 70 metric tons to space. A larger, future 30
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NASA/MSFC/Emmett Given
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Ronnie Renfroe, a materials engineering technician at NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, guides a circumferential weld of the “pathfinder” version of the adapter design that will be used on test flights of the Orion spacecraft and NASA’s Space Launch System. The data and experience gathered from this weld are invaluable to Marshall engineers as they prepare to perform the same task on flight hardware in 2013. version of the rocket will launch up to 130 metric tons – equivalent to about 75 SUVs – in a single launch to destinations such as an asteroid, the Moon and Mars. As the vehicle comes together, SLS program engineers are working closely with the Johnson Space Center in Houston, which manages the Orion crew spacecraft, and with the Kennedy Space Center’s Ground Systems Development and Operations Program in Florida. The launch facilities at Kennedy already are being upgraded to include a mobile launch platform and a new firing room for the SLS. SLS will rely on a combination of proven technologies and evolved capabilities, including five-segment solid rockets boosters (the Space Shuttle used four-segment motors) and
the RS-25 engine, which served as the main engines on the orbiters. Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne of Canoga Park, Calif., manufactured the RS-25s and is updating flight computer hardware and software. The new solid engines have been ground-tested three times at ATK of Promontory, Utah. NASA also is relying on the expertise at the Boeing Company of Huntsville to build the SLS core stage at the agency’s Michoud Assembly Facility in New Orleans. This is the same site where more than a hundred Space Shuttle external tanks were built. The program reached a critical milestone last summer with agency-level approval of the system requirements and system definition review. Guiding the course of the program,
this key step was a pivotal moment, allowing SLS to move from concept to design and target a preliminary design review in 2013. SLS development remains on, or ahead of, schedule. The central “core stage” section of the rocket recently completed a preliminary design system review ahead of schedule. Construction has already begun on the integration adapter rings that will connect Orion to the propulsion elements of the rocket. Those same adapters will be flight-tested as part of the Orion spacecraft’s Exploration Flight Test-1, or EFT-1, in 2014. The integration rings will mate the spacecraft to a Delta IV rocket standing in for the SLS for EFT-1. The same adapter design will be used with the completed version of SLS on the first flight test of the new rocket in 2017. The adapter ring was designed for both applications as an example of NASA’s commitment to affordable solutions for the human exploration of space. “Each individual element of this program has to be at the same level of maturity before we can move the program as a whole to the next step,” May said. “We are running ahead of schedule and will leverage that schedule margin to ensure a safe and affordable rocket for our first flight in 2017.” With development of the 70-metric-ton initial configuration well underway, the SLS Program has also created an advanced development team to consider future heavy-lift vehicle improvements, including more powerful advanced boosters. So, as NASA relies on the Marshall Center to build America’s flagship rocket, scientists and engineers in Huntsville are pushing the envelope, making further progress on the future of space exploration. “Each decision made in support of SLS has been carefully considered,” May said. “We’re moving forward with our eyes on deep space, contributing critical technology and functional knowledge to meet our nation’s exploration goals. At the same time, we realize how lucky we are to write the next chapter in space exploration and hopefully inspire future generations.” • Initiatives April 2013
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Huntsville International Airport Happenings P
eople often wonder how a community like Huntsville became such a big player in the global transportation marketplace. And few people know one of the key components to it all – the International Intermodal Center (IIC), which is one of the main operating entities for the Port of Huntsville. This complex provides a multi-modal transportation system to a diverse customer base and stimulates the economic development and growth of the Tennessee Valley Region. Opened in 1986, the IIC provides a single hub location that delivers world class, multimodal services and facilities. It wasn’t an easy road to enter into the global market, but with the vision and persistence of early community supporters and administration, the Port of Huntsville obtained designation as an official port of entry from U.S. Customs while also becoming the grantee of Foreign Trade Zone No.83. These two steps were crucial to the success of the IIC and its international rail and air cargo services. So successful that today the Port of Huntsville is ranked the 14th
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largest airport in the U.S. for international air cargo. Unique among the top 20 on this list, Huntsville is the only city to have such a global presence in air cargo trade without a professional sports team. For example, Huntsville International Airport is sandwiched Philadelphia (#13) and Seattle (#15) on the list. The IIC is equipped with two 45-ton overhead Gantry cranes and dedicated stack train service via Norfolk Southern. Air cargo at the Intermodal Center continues to meet the diverse and growing needs of business and industry in the Tennessee Valley. Located on site is nearly 300,000 square feet of airside cargo tenant warehouse facilities with 5,250 square feet of cold storage and 11,000 square feet of temperature control storage. One of the key features attractive for international air cargo is HSV’s two parallel runways – 12,600 feet, which is the secondlongest runway in the Southeast U.S., and 10,000 feet. The runways are capable of handling Group VI aircraft with Boeing 747-8 international air cargo flights landing regularly. This designation is again very significant in
that Huntsville is the smallest airport in the country to be certified by the FAA to accommodate the Boeing 747-8s. At the heart of the airport’s air cargo operation is Panalpina, which operates its U.S. air freight network out of Huntsville. This makes Huntsville the only airport in the state with non-stop international air cargo service by Panalpina. The Panalpina Group is one of the world’s leading providers of supply chain solutions, combining intercontinental air and ocean freight with comprehensive value-added logistics services and supply chain services. It operates 9 scheduled flights per week at HSV from Europe, Mexico, and Hong Kong. “We are extremely pleased with the success we’ve seen in air cargo, and that’s why Huntsville International Airport is one of the leading players in this industry,” said Rick Tucker, executive director, Port of Huntsville. “This strong performance and the continued growth of our program contribute to the economic development of our region.” • Patricia McCarter
Therapy Partners Bringing Relief to Many Throughout Madison County
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onnie Gates and Mimi Bynum, both master-degreed counselors in the Huntsville City School System, witnessed the anxiety some schoolchildren felt reading aloud in front of a classroom of their peers back in 1994. Familiar with therapeutic practices that seem to prove petting dogs and cats releases stress and anxiety, the ladies joined forces with current executive director, Margie Wiesman, to form the nonprofit Therapy Partners and its affiliated Kind Hearts Behavioral Center. “No other agency in Madison County provides pet therapy,” said Anne Sentell, an expert trainer at KHBC and a volunteer handler with several dogs in the Therapy Partners program. “We have a mixture of rescued animals, pups, and breeder dogs, but we do not provide private service dogs.” Therapy Partners has grown from two professionally-trained and certified teams of dog handlers and their pets to 29 active therapy teams who provide five different therapeutic programs to hospitals, schools and long-term care facilities. Currently the program includes 27 dogs, a cat, a rabbit … and possibly a miniature horse in the near future. All handlers are volunteers including eight escort teams and 11 instructors for KHBC training. KHBC uses Clicker Training to teach dogs how to obey, a process used by SeaWorld to train Shamu the Whale to jump through hoops. Rather than jerking on the collar or leash, handlers use hand-held clickers to mark behavior and reward the dog with treats. Kind Hearts is open to anyone who wants to teach their dogs to be obedient, well-mannered pets, but only certain types of dogs will qualify as Therapy Partner pets. Classes begin with an introductory sevenweek Puppy Socialization class and a sevenweek Family Manners class. At this level, po-
Therapy Partners dog Susie interacts at Buddy Walk for Downs Syndrome. tential therapy dogs begin to stand out. “We look for calm dogs to train in two levels of obedience,” said Sentell. “It isn’t easy because some qualities like barking, jumping and shyness are innate to the breed. We work to correct behavior, but therapy animals tend to have a naturally calm demeanor; they do not mind being bumped or touched, especially on their paws or tail; they do not jump, bark, or growl; and have no fear of people, wheelchairs, or children.” If accepted, pets begin a “foundations class,” followed by an application into the Therapy Partners Prep class. After 21 weeks of training, participants may intern as Therapy Partner volunteers. “Once trained, the dog must live in your home for a minimum of a year – the time required to train them for certification with Pet Partners, a national agency where they are registered and insured,” Sentell said. In the PAL (Partners Achieving Literacy) program, Therapy Partners collaborates with to work with Title 1 second-graders struggling with reading. “Many children’s reading problems come
from anxiety and fear of being laughed at,” Sentell said. “With PAL, students go into a private classroom where they read to the dog. This helps build confidence. As they improve, we bring in family members to have a reading recital with cookies and punch.” In the PAW (Partners Achieving Wellness) program, Therapy Partners work with the treatment staff at various medical facilities to visit patients. Both pet and volunteer must wear uniforms and be pre-approved and assigned to the facility. They cannot make home visits. The Rapid Response Teams are on-call to provide comfort and emotional support for disaster victims, such as the 2010 shooting at the University of Alabama in Huntsville and tornado relief in 2011. The WAGS program is geared towards educating anyone, especially children, on how to approach strange dogs. “We teach people not to rush up to a strange dog (Wait), but to stand back and ‘Ask’ its owner if it is okay to pet (greet safely) their dog,” Sentell said. • Kimberly Ballard Initiatives April 2013
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Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
2 0 1 3 S TAF F Executive Staff Chip Cherry, CCE, president & CEO Amy Locke, executive assistant Richard McCollum, resource desk assistant
Economic Development Ethan Hadley, VP, economic development Lucia Cape, VP, workforce & industry relations John Southerland, director, Cummings Research Park | project manager
Ken Smith, research & information services director Harrison Diamond, project manager
Communications Patricia McCarter, communications director Kristi Sherrard, graphic designer Hiroko Sedensky, web designer
Government Affairs Mike Ward, VP, government affairs Tina Leopold, government affairs assistant
Finance & Administration Christy Nalley, finance & administration director Jamie Gallien, IT manager Mary McNairy, accounting specialist Lori Warner, accounting specialist Joe Watson, facilities supervisor
Membership Mike Brazier, membership director Donna McCrary, membership specialist Melissa Putzier, membership representative
Small Business & Events Pammie Jimmar, small business & events director Mitzi Floyd, small business coordinator Alexandra Gonzalez, events coordinator Amanda Bishop, events assistant
Associated Organizations The Community Foundation (communityfoundationhsv.org)
The Schools Foundation (theschoolsfoundation.org)
WBCNA (www.wbcna.org)
Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County 225 Church Street, Huntsville, AL 35801 phone 256-535-2000 / fax 256-535-2015 www.HSVchamber.org 34
April 2013 Initiatives
Initiatives April 2013
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April 2013 Initiatives