Initiatives June 2013
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Building a Better Network. Building a Better Community.
At ADTRAN®, we believe in the power of connecting — whether it is with networks or people. For more than 20 years, ADTRAN has been improving telecommunications and building better networks through smart solutions and innovation. From the telephone to the Internet to IP Television, ADTRAN is powering the networks that keep our communities connected. ADTRAN is a proud member of the Huntsville/Madison County community. Whether you are a new or established member of the local community, we invite you to connect with us today, at www.adtran.com
ADTRAN, Inc. 901 Explorer Blvd. Huntsville, AL 35806 256 963-8000
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June 2013 Initiatives
www.adtran.com
Copyright © 2010 ADTRAN Inc. All rights reserved. ADTRAN and NetVanta are registered trademarks of ADTRAN, Inc. CO904B040109CC HT-00313897-01
New Chamber Members JOINED IN MARCH
Championship Enterprises, Inc.
ResCare Home Health Care
CME Custom Manufacturing & Engineering
Rocket City Truck, Inc
Agathos Wellness Strategies
Country Inn & Suites
Sierra Lobo, Inc.
Argo Agency LLC
Diamond Golf Cars
Southern Elegance Dance Studio
ARINC Aerospace
EBSCO Media
Stones River Electric
Auntie Anne’s Pretzel
Energy Solutions
Tech USA, LLC
Banneker Industries, Inc.
Event Magazine
Theonics, Inc.
Body Re-Form Pilates Fitness Studio
Farmers Insurance Group - The Glen Hiller Agency
Valicor Environmental Services
Bud Cramer and Associates
World Finance Corporation
Fleet Care of America Jack’s Family Restaurants, Inc. Jay and Linda Newkirk Mullin & Sons, Inc Nterspec Technologies LLC Preferred Home Income
JOINED IN APRIL 911 Ready, LLC Accenture Asperger Syndrome S.E.A. Beyond Tomorrow: Support, Educate & Advocate AVEVA Inc. AWP Roofing Badd Newz BBQ Deltek, Inc. Ecovery, LLC EmbroidMe of Decatur Empower Behavioral Health Hampton Cove Preschool Hilo Services Ikun, LLC JB Communications Group Kerri Johnson Riley, P.C. L2NL, LLC Lankford/Battle Agency - Allstate Insurance Oak Tree Financial Services, LLC Oasys, Inc. Reserve at Research Park Results Physiotherapy United Launch Alliance USi, LLC Victory Sweepers
Initiatives June 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
Executive Council ($15,000+ annually)
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June 2013 Initiatives
AT&T BB&T CINRAM Crestwood Medical Center Intergraph Corporation Northrop Grumman Corporation Parsons PNC Bank Qualitest Pharmaceuticals SES Verizon Wireless 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. DynCorp International LLC Dynetics, Inc. First Commercial Bank Jerry Damson, Inc. L-3 Communications Corporation – Huntsville Operations
Progress Partners
Lamar Outdoor Advertising, Inc. Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne, P.C. 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 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 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, Inc., & Right Way Restaurants, Inc. (DBA Steak Out) Strata-G Torch Technologies Turner Wilmer & Lee, P.A. Woody Anderson Ford
Progress Investors ($2,500+ annually) Alpha Beta Technologies, Inc. Anglin Reichmann Snellgrove & Armstrong, PC Averbuch Realty Co., Inc. - Scott Averbuch Aviagen, Inc. Bama Jammer, Inc. BancorpSouth Bryant Bank CB&S Bank Century Automotive CFD Research Corporation 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 Enterprise Solutions 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. The Lioce Group, Inc. MJLM Engineering & Technical Services Moog, Inc. National Bank of Commerce North Alabama Multiple Listing Service 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 The Surgery Center of Huntsville Synapse Wireless, Inc. Systems Products and Solutions, Inc. Wesfam Restaurants, Inc. (Burger King) West Huntsville Land Co., Inc. WHNT-TV WILL Technology, Inc. Worthington Federal Bank
STRONGER TOGETHER
We are stronger and better when we work together. That’s the reason for Huntsville Hospital Health System. Good for our patients. Good for communities. Huntsville Hospital Huntsville Hospital for Women & Children Madison Hospital Decatur Morgan Hospital Athens-Limestone Hospital Helen Keller Hospital Red Bay Hospital Lawrence Medical Center
101 Sivley Road, Huntsville, AL 35801 Initiatives June 2013
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Join the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County as we celebrate this year’s National Small Business Week. Make a special effort to
THINK LOCAL, BUY LOCAL in Huntsville and Madison County the week of June 17.
National Small Business Week June 17-21, 2013 More than half of Americans either own or work for a small business, and they create about two out of every three new jobs in the U.S. each year. 6
June 2013 Initiatives
initiatives
Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
june 2013 on the cover
Big Spring Park, photo by Hiroko Sedensky
Fueling Our Future BRAC School Funds, Madison County Schools . . . . . . . . . . . Huntsville City Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . Teach for America . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . Madison City Schools . . . . . . . . . . . . . Cover collage by K. Sherrard
features
Courtesy of the Huntsville-Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau
Economic Development Highlights
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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including Energy Huntsville, U.S. Space & Rocket Center, U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center, Moseley Technical Services, DHS Technologies, LMI, The Boeing Company, Davidson Technologies, Advanced Optical Solutions. Lockheed Martin, A2Research, GATR Technologies, VCSI and HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology
Small Business Awards Spotlight 2 8 Annual Washington DC Trip in pictures 3 0 And the Winners Are . . . 3 2
developments
Courtesy of the Huntsville Botanical Garden
New Chamber Members
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
HREGI Investors Listing Chamber Board Listing Community Profile Chamber Staff Listing Total Resource Campaign Armed Forces Celebration Schedule Upcoming Cyber Conferences
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editorial staff
Publisher Chip Cherry, cce Executive Editor Patricia C. McCarter
Editorial Designer Kristi Sherrard Contributing Writers Lucia Cape and Patricia McCarter
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@htimes.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: We market our community as a “Smart Place to Live, Work and Play.” In fact, we are one of the smartest places on the planet when you benchmark us by our number of engineers and Ph.D.s per capita. But how do we ensure that we will continue to remain a “Smart Place” in the future? Who will power the engine of our economy in the future? The answer is relatively straight forward – education and our students. One of the critical keys to our future success is our primary and secondary schools. Efforts undertaken to refocus the direction of the Huntsville City Schools on the growth and development of the students have yielded powerful results in a relatively short time. I encourage you to read the story on the Huntsville City Schools digital initiative in this issue. Efforts to ensure that all of the school systems in the region impacted by the BRAC relocations have the funds to address their physical plant needs resulted in the State issuing bonds to assist with their needs and only requiring the systems to repay half the funding. The Madison County Commission partnered with Madison County Schools to craft an historic agreement which allows the system to make much needed improvements which will enhance the educational experience of the students. When you couple the very positive trends in our public school systems with the quality of the private school offerings in our area, you can see why the future of primary and secondary education in our region is bright. We must remain vigilant to ensure that outside forces don’t negatively impact the direction of education in our community. One such issue is defined as the “Common Core.” The Common Core grew from the concerns of educators across the country that a common set of expectations needed to be established for those core areas of study which every student needs to comprehend to be successful. A common set of standards of core subjects is important to assure parents that the skills they acquire in one state will transfer to another. These same standards are important to employers who make decisions about where to locate new facilities and to citizens who want to gauge the effectiveness of our schools. We believe that having a commonality for core subjects is important, and I encourage you to learn more about “Common Core.” I am going to close my letter with a big “thank you” to all who chose to become teachers and school administrators. As educators, you chose a profession focused on the growth and development of our young people. I salute you for the role you play in our community and the impact you have on our young people!
Chip Cherry, CCE President & CEO Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
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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 Research & Technology Corporation
Rose Allen, Vice Chair - Government Affairs, Booz Allen Hamilton Everett Brooks, Vice Chair - Membership, AEgis Technologies Group Danny Windham, Vice Chair - Workforce & Industry Relations, Digium Kim Lewis, Vice Chair - Small Business & Events, PROJECTXYZ Gary Bolton, Vice Chair - Research & Information Services, ADTRAN Dr. O’Neal Smitherman, Vice Chair - Image Development & Communications, 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 County Commission Mayor Troy Trulock, Chair-Appointed, City of Madison Chip Cherry, President & CEO, Chamber of Commerce Elected Board
Joe Alexander, Camber Corporation Dr. Robert Altenkirch, UAHuntsville Bob Baron, Baron Services Dr. Marc Bendickson, Dynetics Miranda Bouldin, LogiCore Greg Bragg, Consolidated Construction Company Micah Bullard, Turner Universal Construction 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 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 CAS Group 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 Engineering Services, LLC 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
What I know: I know that in creating the simulators that train our soldiers, I’m serving my country just as my father and grandfather did in uniform. I know that patents demand a strategic approach – sometimes it’s about having a patent attorney who knows when not to patent. I know that coaching my kids reinvigorates my leadership and helps keep my family strong. I know we do more with 240 people than companies an order of magnitude larger than AEgis. I know leadership isn’t about having the best people. It’s about letting the best people do what they do best. I know from working with Bradley Arant Boult Cummings to protect our intellectual property that they have the best people doing what they do best.
That’s what I know. STEVE HILL PRESIDENT & CEO AEGIS TECHNOLOGIES
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Initiatives June 2013
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY
Energy Huntsville Forms Partnership with U.S. Space & Rocket Center The City of Huntsville, Energy Huntsville and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center have forged an alliance toward a new collaboration in energy technologies. The Energy Huntsville Initiative - a coalition of 185 energy companies in Huntsville - will base its operations in the Space & Rocket Center. Mayor Tommy Battle, Energy Huntsville Chair Jay Newkirk and Space & Rocket Center CEO Dr. Deborah Barnhart signed a partnership agreement in the Davidson Center for Space Exploration’s Saturn V Hall on April 3 to solidify the joint venture. Energy Huntsville’s volunteer base has grown substantially since its formation three years ago, and the organization has been looking for a base for operations. “This new partnership will help all of us accomplish our energy goals and missions,” said Newkirk. “The mayor’s vision in creating Energy Huntsville was to provide jobs and economic development, and the U.S. Space & Rocket Center’s long term objective is to realize net-zero energy efficiencies. Both will ultimately make Huntsville a Center of Excellence in energy technologies.” Energy Huntsville’s new location helps create an environment in which it can intensify its work to offer solutions in the management and control of energy data and energy resilience and to have access to support personnel to fulfill its mission to provide jobs in the energy market sector. “Since its founding in 1970, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center has educated the public on energy technologies devel-
Jay Newkirk, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, USSRC CEO Dr. Deborah Barnhart at announcement that the Energy Huntsville Initiative will base its operations at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, where net-zero energy efficiency is the goal. oped as a result of the need for self-sustaining energy generation and the conservation and re-use of resources in human space exploration,” said Barnhart. “This collaborative effort is an exciting
way to bring these concepts ‘down to earth,’ make emerging energy technologies and ideas accessible to the general public and keep Huntsville on the leading edge of technology.” •
Energy Initiative Contract Awarded to Army Corps of Engineers in Huntsville The U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Engineering and Support Center in Huntsville has been awarded the first in a series of contracts designed to support the use of renewable energy on Department of Defense (DoD) installations. The total amount for all awards will not exceed $7 billion. The Indefinite Delivery, Indefinite Quantity Multiple Award Task Order Contracts (MATOC) is the first contract of its kind awarded by the Huntsville Center. The first contract will cover geothermal energy efforts. Contracts related to solar, wind and biomass will be announced throughout the year. The contracts will be used to procure reliable, locally generated, renewable and alternative energy though power purchasing agreements (PPA). The contracts get the Army closer to meeting the congressionally mandated goal of 25 percent production and consumption of energy from renewable sources by 2025, while improving installation energy security and sustainability. “In our current fiscal environment, attracting 10
June 2013 Initiatives
third-party money to build renewable energy production facilities that will allow military installations to purchase energy at a pre-determined rate without building, owning and maintaining the facility is the right thing to do,” said Col. Robert Ruch, Huntsville Center commander. “Increasing energy security is a top priority for DoD and Army leadership, and this effort will lead to enhanced energy security and sustainability for our installations.” The five companies awarded contracts for use in competing and awarding PPA task orders using geo-
thermal technology are Constellation NewEnergy, Inc., Baltimore, Md.; ECC Renewables, LLC, Burlingame, Calif.; Enel Green Power North America, Inc., Andover, Mass.; LTC Federal, LLC, Detroit, Mich.; and Siemens Government Technologies, Inc., Arlington, Va. The contracts have a three-year base with seven one-year options. The contracts will expedite the acquisition process for future project to develop largescale renewable energy projects that use private sector financing. “To reach the Army’s goal of deploying 1 gigawatt of renewable energy by 2025 will require a different way of doing business with the private sector. The issuance of the MATOC is a clear milestone for us, and the significant interest we’ve seen from industry indicates that we are on the right path,” said John Lushetsky, executive director of the Energy Initiative Task Force (EITF). “The EITF has worked closely with the Huntsville Center to make the MATOC a streamlined and agile tool for the government to procure power from large scale renewable energy projects.” •
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Huntsville in Top 20 of POLICOM’s Economic Strength Rankings
After announcing earlier this year that it would no longer hold its annual winter symposium in Fort Lauderdale as it had done the previous 14 years, the Association of the United States Army (AUSA) announced that its 2014 AUSA Winter Symposium and Exposition will be held in Huntsville instead. As it turns out, there was never any definitive deal in place, according to AUSA representatives. In a statement released in late April, AUSA said that AMC, which is headquartered at Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville, will be “the featured command for the 2014 symposium.” AUSA President retired Gen. Gordon Sullivan said locating the 2014 symposium in Huntsville “with its close proximity to AMC headquarters will allow us to maximize military, civilian and industry attendance during this period of constrained budgets and limited resources. This is a superb opportunity for their professional development and remains very cost effective.” In 2012, about 500 soldiers attended the show but in 2013, fewer than 100 were allowed to attend due to budget cuts. Redstone is also home to the Army Aviation and Missile Command, Army Security Assistance Command, Army Contracting Command, Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development and Engineering Center, Army Space and Missile Defense Command and the U.S. Missile Defense Agency. •
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AUSA Winter Convention Coming to Huntsville in 2014
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The Rocket City did well on POLICOM’s annual “Economic Strength” rankings, coming in 19th out of 366 metropolitan areas. This measures the long-term tendency for an area to consistently grow in size and quality. Huntsville is the top-ranking metro in the state. Birmingham came in at 40, Montgomery at 98, Mobile at 221, and Dothan at 289. Washington D.C. received the highest ranking this year, as it did in 2011 and 2012. POLICOM has been conducting the annual rankings since 1997. The study measures 23 different economic factors over a 20-year period to create the rankings. According to POLICOM, its formulas determine how an economy has behaved over an extended period of time. Data used for the 2013 rankings dates from 1992 to 2011. •
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS continued from page 11
Marshall Cites Contractor Excellence at Annual Breakfast Marshall Space Flight Center Patrick Scheuermann and other key Marshall leaders shared their budget and project outlook to more than 300 business and community leaders on May 15. Scheuermann, who became center director last September, said the theme of the event, “We Do the Hard Stuff Together,” is particularly appropriate for the “Marshall Team.” “Thanks to the management team in place, the people of Marshall and this community, we’re ready for the challenges of the future by focusing on partnerships and affordable solutions,” he said. The Marshall Team is unified behind NASA’s exploration goals, Scheuermann said, which include development of the Space Launch System and Orion spacecraft and the first-ever mission to identify, capture and relocate an asteroid. Support for Marshall was evident, he said, during the recent Chamber of Commerce trip to Washington to meet with key members
of Congress, and at meetings with state leaders and lawmakers during Marshall’s NASA Day in Montgomery and NASA Day in Baton Rouge, La. He said the proposed fiscal year 2014 NASA budget request is basically the same as the administration’s fiscal 2013 request. It includes $2.18 billion for the Marshall Center to continue its essential role in NASA’s exploration and other programs, including International Space Station operations and proceeding with testing of the James Webb Space Telescope. “The agency has shown its commitment to Marshall and our technical capabilities by giving us a stable budget and the workforce needed to deliver on critical NASA missions,” Scheuermann said. The 2012 Marshall Contractor Excellence Awards also were presented during the breakfast meeting at the Davidson Center for Space Exploration at the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. For the awards, eligible contractor companies were evaluated on a
number of criteria, including contract technical performance, cost and schedule performance, leadership and quality improvement, customer satisfaction, innovation, safety, diversity and outreach. Dynetics Technical Services was honored in the “Small Business” category for providing Information Technology services to Marshall. The company was praised for taking on additional work despite the fixed-fee nature of its contract, for being on time, significantly under budget and for helping Marshall to do more while reducing costs. SAIC was honored in the “Large Business” category for its work for Marshall under three separate contracts. The company’s approach to software development and support for the small business community were noted, as was its performance during the April 2011 tornadoes, when SAIC implemented mission-essential and emergency coverage in support of NASA computer and data center systems. •
Portrait of Retired Chairman Gillespie Unveiled at Courthouse The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County unveiled a painted portrait of Madison County Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie, who retired in late 2012 after 32 years in office. The portrait, commissioned by the Chamber as a tribute to Gillespie’s leadership in economic development, will hang in the Madison County Courthouse. When Gillespie was elected in 1980, he was the youngest person to hold the office of commission chairman. Chamber of Commerce Chair Ron Poteat emceed the event on April 29, noting that Gillespie has a talent for bringing people together, regardless of their position or title. He also commended the retired chairman for being a great diplomat for Madison County, “both domestically and internationally.” “During his tenure as chairman, Madison County enjoyed exceptional growth,” Poteat said. “He was a major player in recruiting industry to make this community one of the fastest growing high tech areas in the country. “Take a moment to think about all of the amazing economic development announcements that were made in Madison County over the last three decades. I can guarantee you, Mike Gillespie was at the table for each and every one of those.” Current Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong – who served alongside Gillespie on the commission for several years – said his five months as chairman has brought about “renewed respect” for Gillespie and for the demands of the office. Strong said Gillespie offered his expertise to help streamline the transition and that he appreciated the retired chair’s generosity. When Gillespie and his family unveiled the portrait, the retired chairman thanked the artist, Maggie Little – with whom he attended Huntsville High School – and said she “did the best she could with the subject she had.” “I’ve spent over half my life in this building, with my county family,” Gillespie said. “I’ve got my family, and my county family. I’ve been so fortunate to be supported by both.” • 12
June 2013 Initiatives
Artist Maggie Little (left) and retired Madison County Commission Chairman Mike Gillespie stand with his portrait that was unveiled at the Madison County Courthouse.
TDC-RocketCity_ChamberAd.ai 1 5/10/2013 9:00:27 AM
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Hacking Conference and training! COMING TO The Rocket City IN JULY!
SBA Names Ellen Didier the 2013 Small Business Person of the Year for Alabama Ellen Didier, founder and president of Red Sage Communications in Decatur, has been named the 2013 Alabama Small Business Person of the Year by the U.S. Small Business Administration. The Small Business Person of the year is selected annually based on growth in sales or unit volume, increase in the number of employees, financial strength, innovativeness of product or service and evidence of contributions to communityoriented projects. Didier was nominated by Joanne Randolph of the Women’s Business Center of North Alabama, located in the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. “I am extremely honored to receive this award and am very grateful for the resources and networking opportunities available through organizations that help small businesses like Red Sage succeed such as the Women’s Business Center of North Alabama and the Chamber of Commerce,” Didier said. “This award would not have been possible without the efforts and dedication of my staff, as well as our customers who continue to allow us to be a part of their success.” Didier founded the branding and marketing agency in March 2006 and has grown the company from a single employee home-based business to its current staff of eight. Originally serving companies and organizations in north Alabama, Red Sage has grown its market area to include customers in more than 30 counties in Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee and Texas. • C
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Moseley Technical Services Receives Boeing Award Moseley Technical Services announced on May 8 that it received the 2012 Boeing Performance Excellence Award at the Gold level. The Boeing Company issues the award annually to recognize suppliers who have achieved superior performance. Moseley has won a BPEA in each of the three years they have been eligible. This year, Boeing recognized 594 suppliers who achieved either a Gold or Silver level Boeing Performance Excellence Award. Moseley Technical Services, Inc. is one of only 153 suppliers to receive the Gold level of recognition. Jerry L. Moseley, President, stated in response to the award, “We are very honored to be recognized as a Gold Supplier to The Boeing Company. This award is a tribute to our commitment to providing our customers with exceptional services, year after year. We truly appreciate the relationship we have fostered with this valued customer and look forward to continuing our partnership with Boeing in the years to come.” Moseley Technical Services, Inc. was founded in 1994. Moseley’s relationship with The Boeing Company began in 1995 providing local Engineering Support Services. •
TAKEDOWNCON, the ultimate IT Security conference is proud to bring the nation’s top industry professionals and subject matter experts to the Rocket City! TAKEDOWNCON provides the most relevant, cutting edge and implementable information on advanced hacking topics. Prior to the conference and as a separate event, EC-Council will provide several certificate training programs and certification courses for advanced practitioners.
Classes Include:
4 Day Courses • • •
Certified Information Systems Security Professional (CISSP) Certified Ethical Hacker (CEH) v8 [4 days] Certified Security Analyst / Licensed Penetration Tester (ECSA/LPT) [4 days] • Computer Forensics Hacking Investigator (CHFI) [4 days]
3 Day Courses • • • • • • • •
Advanced Penetration Testing Advanced Mobile Hacking & Forensics Advanced Network Defense Hacking Secure Encryption and Countermeasures Advanced Metasploit Decoded Securing Windows Infrastructure Snort Fundamentals Malware Analysis
Presentations not limited to but include; • • • • • • •
Bending and Twisting Networks Can you hear me now? Leveraging Mobile Devices on Pentests What do you mean the friend of my friend is MY ENEMY? In the Line of Fire – The Morphology of Cyber Attacks Technology Deathmatch – Ever so Sweet…the Arms Race is On… Cyber Security via Technology FAILS – Stop the FUD! White Hat Anonymity: Current Challenges Security Researchers Face Performing Actionable OSINT
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Training Event : July 11-14 Conference: July 15-16
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Looking for that blessed hope, and the glorious appearing of the great God and our Savior Jesus Christ. Titus 2:13
Hope
Baptist Church
190 Daniel Dr., Huntsville, AL 35811 Phone: 334-492-4673 • Pastor: R. G. Matroni
11:00AM Sunday Morning • 6:00PM Sunday Evening Other Services – See Website
www.hopebaptisthsv.org • hopebaptisthsv@gmail.com Come Grow With Us Initiatives June 2013
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS continued from page 13
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NASA Day in Montgomery Reminds Legislature of Agency’s Contributions
Astronaut Kate Rubins speaks with luncheon crowd. Two astronauts and the director of Marshall Space Flight Center addressed a group of statewide legislators on what NASA contributes to Alabama and the entire country at the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County’s NASA Day Luncheon in Montgomery. Marshall director Patrick Scheuermann and astronauts Jack Fischer and Kate Rubins spoke and visited with the legislators, who typically don’t vote on NASA issues but can indirectly impact the business climate for space matters. “Montgomery has always been a partner in our work,” Scheuermann said at the luncheon with Alabama leaders. “I believe there are other opportunities for us to work with the community and the state in leveraging our resources in North Alabama to grow the aerospace presence and support some natural growth and synergies in advanced manufacturing, information technology and other areas.” Although NASA’s budget is often eyed during budget-cutting conversations, the Marshall director pointed out that NASA spends less annually than “Americans spend on soda and bottled water.” He also noted NASA’s breadth of activity, including $19 million spent since 2008 on research to improve the environmental management of the Gulf Coast and shrimp production. Sen. Bill Holtzclaw presented a resolution which highlighted Marshall’s achievements in space exploration and its significance to the state’s economy and history. Marshall has a more than $2 billion impact on the Alabama economy. In 2011, the most recent study showed that impact to include $37.5 million in taxes in Alabama and $817 million in contracts in the state, with nearly a quarter of those going to small businesses. During the series of events honoring the Marshall Center, exhibits were on display in the State House highlighting several technological and scientific achievements of Marshall engineers and researchers. Astronauts Fischer, an Air Force lieutenant colonel, and Rubins, a biologist, accompanied Scheuermann at the State Capitol. Both were selected in 2009 to become members of the 20th NASA astronaut class. •
DHS Technologies Relocating Manufacturing, Business Development to Huntsville More than 100 jobs will move to Huntsville’s Southpoint Industrial Park later this year when DHS Technologies relocates its shelter manufacturing functions and certain company management positions from Orangeburg, N.Y., and all of its business development positions from Crestview, Fla. The relocation will bring approximately 110 senior and mid-level management, supervisory and hourly employee positions to North Alabama, drawing most of the new employees from the Huntsville, Decatur and Athens areas. In support of this, the company has recently acquired a new 130,000-square-foot manufacturing facility in the Southpoint Industrial Park which will complement an adjacent identicallysized manufacturing facility that’s been there since 2007. This will also double the company’s employee count in the park. The new facility will support shelter manufacturing, business development and customer support functions while the existing facility will support trailer manufacturing, global logistics, management and research and development functions. “The relocation of these activities and functions to North Alabama represents an opportunity to strengthen the foundation of our business through consolidation, increased coordination of our manufacturing activities, and the co-location of our research and development and business development activities with the production of our products,” said Jon Prusmack, the founder, president and CEO. “Since we opened our first facility in Huntsville six years ago we have been very pleased with the high quality of the personnel we attracted and have appreciated the support of the state and local community.” Warren Kanders, Executive Chairman of DHS, continued: “DHS Systems is excited about the opportunity to significantly expand our business in North Alabama. The business climate in the area is highly attractive and we look forward to building on our past success and doing our part to help the communities in the area grow and prosper.” •
Ret. Gen. Ann Dunwoody Named to LMI Board of Directors Ret. Gen. Ann E. Dunwoody, the former commander of Army Materiel Command and Deputy Chief of Staff, has been appointed to LMI’s board of Directors. It is her first board appointment since leaving a historic and distinguished 37-year Army career, which culminated in her becoming the first woman in U.S. military and uniformed service history to achieve a four-star officer rank. “Ann Dunwoody is highly respected within the logistics and defense community for her remarkable clarity of thought and strategic vision, and we welcome her insight 14
June 2013 Initiatives
and wisdom to LMI’s Board of Directors,” LMI President and CEO Nelson M. Ford said. Dunwoody, who Army Chief of Staff Gen. Ray Odierno dubbed “quite simply the best logistician the Army has ever had,” is Dunwoody the fourth generation of her family to serve in the U.S. Army and the third to achieve flag officer rank. Over the course of her career, she led and ran the largest global logistics command in the Army, comprising 69,000
military and civilians, located in all 50 states and more than 140 countries. During that time, she managed a budget of $60 billion and was responsible for oversight of approximately $70 billion in service contracts. She managed and operationalized the Army’s global supply chain for numerous engagements, including support of Iraq and Afghanistan operations, contingency operations in Haiti, Pakistan and Japan, and the Base Realignment and Closing move of Command Headquarters from Fort Belvoir, Va., to Huntsville.
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 Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park has earned a reputation as a global
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS continued from page 14
Boeing Opens HQ in Redstone Gateway Exactly one year after Boeing celebrated its 50th anniversary at its Huntsville location, the company officially opened a new office complex in the new Redstone Gateway office park to serve as headquarters for its Strategic Missile and Defense Systems division. The company-owned facility just outside the gates of Redstone Arsenal is 363,000 square feet and will eventually have 1,400 workers who are transitioning to the office complex’s first completed building from leased offices elsewhere. The second building of the complex is expected to open this year and the third in early 2014. Boeing said company work on NASA’s Space Launch System will also be conducted at the facility. “This is more than a new Boeing-owned office complex,” said Tony Jones, vice president and Boeing Huntsville site executive. “Today is a celebration of the investment Boeing has made in the ideas, innovation and
inspiration rooted right here in Huntsville.” The ribbon cutting was well attended by state and local leaders and customer representatives. Also speaking was Dennis Muilenburg of St. Louis, who is Boeing’s president and chief executive officer of Boeing Defense, Space & Security and serves on the company’s Executive Council. “This is a talent-rich site,” said Muilenburg, referring to Huntsville’s long history in high tech aviation and defense research and development. “… We know we work on important things. Lives depend on what we do.” Todd May, SLS program manager, said NASA is depending on its community partners to build the big new rocket to take man back into space, and Boeing is building the “brains and backbone” core stage of that rocket. “The path to space travel still runs through Huntsville,” May said. “… And we are all looking forward to the 2017 launch.” •
Ret. Gen. Tony Jones of Boeing speaks at ceremony.
Advanced Optical Systems Receives Edison Awards in Chicago Advanced Optical Systems in Huntsville took home gold and silver awards from the 2013 Edison Awards in Chicago on April 26. AOS’s AIRprint biometric identification system was recognized for its ability to improve the safety of U.S. personnel by taking fingerprints of unknown persons from several feet away. The Hermes system for drone cargo operations was recognized for its contributions to troop safety by helping to take cargo off the road in theaters like Afghanistan. Being recognized with an Edison Award is a high accolade in the realm of innovation and business. The award symbolizes the persistence and excellence personified by Thomas Alva Edison. “It is exciting to see companies like AOS continuing Thomas Edison’s legacy of challenging conventional thinking,” said
Frank Bonafilia, Edison Awards’ executive director. Nielsen, Discovery Communications, Science Channel, and USA Today sponsored the 2013 Edison Awards. “To be recognized as an Edison finalist for two products - in the same year that the AIRprint system was recognized by Popular Science as one of the top 100 innovations of the year - is an overwhelming honor,” said AOS President Dr. Keith Farr. “This distinction reflects the value and quality we strive to deliver to our ultimate customer, U.S. troops in harm’s way.” AOS’s AIRprint allows US operators to identify people from a safe distance, a matter of great concern in the military and at our embassies. It uses advanced optics to take non-contact fingerprints from several feet away. Last year, AOS released a commercial version of the AIRprint through a spin-off company, IDair. •
Dorothy Davidson Now CEO at Davidson Technologies Dorothy Davidson has taken the helm at Davidson Technologies as Chairman of the Board and CEO following the passing of the company’s founder and her husband, Dr. Julian Davidson. Dr. Davidson founded Davidson Technologies in 1996 to provide defense and aerospace services to government and commercial customers. Ms. Davidson plans to carry on Dr. Davidson’s legacy of offering quality research and development expertise, with a new emphasis on growth and diversification of the customer base, while maintaining the company’s core expertise in missile defense and aerospace technologies. Davidson Technologies will now do business as a Woman-Owned Small Business. “Davidson Technologies has developed a unique reputation for excellence over the years and we’ll continue to provide our customers a quality product.” Ms. Davidson said. “However, there is a wealth of talent and energy among our employees and I want to reinvigorate and cultivate that expertise to new heights.” Dorothy Smith Davidson is a native of northern Virginia. After receiving a bachelor’s of science degree in mathematics in 1956, she took a position as a research mathematician with the U.S. Air Force at the Pentagon. She continued her advanced education in mathematics, business administration and system engineering. In 1965, Ms. Davidson began her work in industry as a system engineer. Her employment took her to Europe where she worked with several U.S. and German companies. Ms. Davidson returned to the United States after 17 years abroad and consulted for companies who interfaced with Europe. She married Julian Davidson in 1981, and in 1992 they moved to Huntsville. Ms. Davidson manages the family trusts and also runs several companies. She has devoted a great deal of her time to serving on numerous boards and committees over the years. Davidson Technologies employs more than 230 technical and administrative professionals. Davidson is headquartered in Huntsville, with personnel in Colorado Springs and Washington D.C. •
~ Economic Development Highlights continued on page 26 16
June 2013 Initiatives
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Cooperation Leads to Full Participation in School Funds
The relocation of thousands of jobs to Redstone Arsenal through the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Commission brought great things to the Huntsville and Madison County economic scene.
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June 2013 Initiatives
It also brought tremendous pressure on the three local school systems to provide education to thousands of new students whose parents followed those 4,700 BRAC government jobs (plus about the same amount in contractor jobs) from the Washington D.C. area and beyond. It’s a good challenge to have, but it’s a challenge nevertheless. Then along came $175 in state bond funds dedicated to school districts affected by BRAC growth. The Alabama Legislature put the final touches on a measure in 2012 to allow the Alabama Public School and College Authority to issue bonds for construction and renovation of aging schools whose enrollments had expanded due to BRAC growth. Per the state, $147 million will be available to schools within Madison County: Huntsville City, $65 million; Madison City, $26 million; Madison County $56 million. Limestone, Morgan and Marshall Counties schools would share $28 million. The only catch in this scenario was that for the local districts had to obtain bond funds, they had to match the money, dollar for dollar, as the districts will be required to pay back half of the bond amount to the Alabama Public School and College Authority. Neither the Huntsville City or Madison City districts had that kind of cash lying around, but they did have strong enough balance sheets to borrow it in the form of long-term bonds. Madison County, however, could only muster about $20 million of the nearly $28 million it needed to obtain all of the $56 million available. Without intervention, the county school district was facing the possibility of leaving $8
Huntsville, Madison, Madison County will have $147 million in bond funds for capital school projects.
million on the table. “We had crunched the numbers all we could,” said Madison County Schools Superintendent David Copeland. “And the money just wasn’t there.” Not taking full advantage of the bond opportunity was untenable to all parties because improved schools in all districts bodes well for Redstone Arsenal when future rounds of BRAC arise. Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong wanted the county school district to get everything it possibly could. He certainly knew that some schools had outgrown their campuses, and other schools needed serious retooling. Finally, after four months of negotiations,
Strong was able to offer this premise to the commission for a vote: The county could allocate matching funds because improving schools is important to recruiting businesses to North Alabama. The funds would be distributed in increments of $500,000 per year over 10 years. That was approved in early May, and then the Madison County School Board approved it, too. “Any company – in research, technology or BRAC – that looks at coming to the Tennessee Valley, the first thing they’re going to talk about is education,” Strong said. “That’s going to set us apart from many other areas.” County Schools Superintendent Copeland said the county commission worked “magic,” and now his district can blossom. He anticipates getting rid of most of the 47 portables scattered across county campuses. The money will go toward building a new
L-R: Madison County Schools Superintendent David Copeland and Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong
$46 million high school in the Monrovia area to alleviate overcrowding at Sparkman High School. In Copeland’s vision, Sparkman High will transition to a four-year high school and Sparkman’s freshman academy will become an intermediate school. (Almost 2,500 students currently attend classes at Sparkman’s megacampus.) The district also plans to build a new intermediate school in the Lynn Fanning area and a new academic building at Madison County Elementary School. The elementary school’s auditorium and library would remain in place. “It is truly a blessing,” Copeland said. “We are looking forward to doing great things for the students of Madison County.” If there are funds left over, the district would also build a new wing at Madison County High School for seventh and eighth graders. “Soon we’re going to see more than $200 million in construction in schools in North Alabama,” Madison County Commission Chairman Dale Strong said at a press conference at the Chamber on May 7. “We have positioned ourselves perfectly for the days ahead.” At a Chamber-sponsored State of the Schools update in January, Copeland explained how his system receives up to 11 mils less in tax funding than the city systems, yet must take care of a growing student population and strained transportation demands. Copeland continued on page 20
MADISON COUNTY SCHOOLS • Buckhorn High • Buckhorn Middle • Career Tech Center • Central Elementary • Endeavor Elementary • Harvest Elementary • Hazel Green Elementary • Hazel Green High • Legacy Elementary • Lynn Fanning Elementary • Madison County High • Madison County Elementary • Madison Cross Roads • Meridianville Middle • Monrovia Elementary • Monrovia Middle • Mt. Carmel Elementary • New Hope Elementary • New Hope High • New Market School • Owens Cross Roads • PACE • Riverton Elementary • Riverton Intermediate • Sparkman High • Sparkman Middle • Sparkman Ninth Grade • Walnut Grove School Initiatives June 2013
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BRAC School Funding, continued from page 19 –
Top: Students and faculty changing classes at James Clemens High in Madison. Left: Madison City Schools Superintendent Dee Fowler; Right: Dr. Casey Wardynski and Mayor Tommy Battle observing digital education in progress.
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June 2013 Initiatives
said the district has not had a new source of revenue in 26 years.” “We are about $150 million short of where we need to be in Madison County,” Copeland said. A lack of funding could also pose a problem for the district’s AP program, for which funding will run out next year. The picture presented about the county schools was not all bleak, however. Student participation in AP courses has grown by about 500 students over the past two academic years. “The program is outstanding and is showing outstanding results,” Copeland said. Copeland said the schools are “academically sound,” and that Madison County Schools is the top county system in the state. He said the county system was graduating “more and more college- and career-ready students than ever before.” He said six county schools won the Blue Ribbon Lighthouse award, and Legacy Elementary was named a 2012 Intel School of Distinction for its achievements in math and science. Although capital outlay plans for Huntsville City Schools have not been finalized, Superintendent Casey Wardynski revealed at board meetings that the system is set to spend $194 million in building and renovation projects in the next three years (with additional help of 6.5-mil ad valorem taxes renewed by voters last summer): • New Grissom High School to be constructed off Memorial Parkway, just south of Weatherly Road. • New Johnson High School to be rebuilt on land off Pulaski Pike. • Freshman academy to be built on the Huntsville High campus. • Combine Davis Hills and Ed White middle schools in a single school on the new Johnson campus. Madison City Schools – located in the fastest growing city in the state – plan to use the money on projects identified in the system’s capital plan, which includes a multi-million dollar renovation to Bob Jones High School and facility and equipment improvements at other schools. The capital plan approved last year by the Madison Board of Education included $40 million worth of projects. The school district has since identified the need to build another elementary school within the next three to four years, so some of the BRAC money may go toward that as well. • Patricia McCarter
Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
2 0 1 3 STAFF Chip Cherry, CCE, president & CEO Amy Locke, executive assistant Richard McCollum, resource desk coordinator Danae McElroy, resource desk assistant
Communications Patricia McCarter, communications director Kristi Sherrard, graphic designer Hiroko Sedensky, web designer
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 Karessa Acosta, economic development assistant
Finance & Administration Christy Nalley, finance & administration director Jamie Gallien, IT manager Mary McNairy, accounting specialist Lori Warner, accounting specialist Joe Watson, facilities supervisor
Government Affairs Mike Ward, VP, government affairs Tina Leopold, government affairs assistant
Membership Mike Brazier, membership director Donna McCrary, membership specialist Melissa Putzier, membership representative Morgan Hopper, membership representative
Small Business & Events Pammie Jimmar, small business & events director Mitzi Floyd, small business coordinator Alexandra Gonzalez, event coordinator Amanda Bishop, events assistant
Associated Organizations The Community Foundation of Huntsville/ Madison County (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
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Academy for Academics and Arts • Academy for Science & Foreign Language • Blossomwood Elementary • Butler High School • Chaffee Elementary • Challenger Elementary • Challenger Middle • Chapman Schools • Columbia High School • Davis Hills Middle • Ed White Middle • Farley Elementary • Goldsmith Schiffman Elementary • Grissom High School • Hampton Cove Elementary • Hampton Cove Middle • Highlands Elementary • Huntsville High School • Huntsville Middle • J.E. Williams Elementary School • James Dawson Elementary • Johnson High School • Jones Valley Elementary • Lakewood Elementary • Lee High School • Martin Luther King Jr. Elementary • McDonnell Elementary • Monte Sano Elementary • Montview Elementary • Morris Elementary • Mountain Gap P-8 • New Century Technology High School • Providence Elementary • Providence Middle • Ridgecrest Elementary • Rolling Hills Elementary • The Huntsville Center of Technology • University Place Elementary • Weatherly Heights Elementary • Westlawn Middle • Whitesburg P-8 • Williams Middle
Huntsville City Schools I
n this past school year, Huntsville City Schools completely re-engineered its way of teaching when it became the nation’s first and only all-digital school district, with every student having his or her own laptop or iPad. Concisely put, tests scores are up, and discipline problems are down. The computers themselves aren’t the big change, though. It’s the digital curriculum with interactive texts, videos, animations and assessment tools that’s made the difference. Students have 24/7 access to learning materials, and real-time data helps teachers make adjustments for each learner’s needs. The results reported by Huntsville City Schools have been so phenomenal, more than 20 major metropolitan districts have consulted with local officials about how to replicate these best practices of the 1:1 Digital Initiative. It hasn’t been a trouble-free transition, as some teachers have had difficulty with the transition, some homes don’t have access to internet service, the school’s network was over-stressed, and students have learned how to chisel through the district’s firewalls so that they access unapproved websites during school hours. But the district continues to work through those. “It is detailed to the level that our superintendent can drill down to a particular laptop and see what a student sees on his or her screen,” said Anderson. “As strong as our filters are, these kids can outsmart them. When that happens, (HCS Superintendent) Dr. Wardynski can call the school, ask to speak to the student and let them know a call will be made to Mom or Dad if the student doesn’t leave the site they are misusing.” Working with Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Wardynski has expanded public WiFi areas and free training programs in conjunction with the city’s library system, all with the two-fold purpose of training caregivers unfamiliar with the technology. The district is consulting with colleges and universities who are developing their future teachers. And real-time monitoring, both of student and teacher performance, has generated a new level of transparency. “The teacher becomes more of a facilitator of knowledge,” said Rena Anderson, HCS director of community engagement. “We do assessments to see where each child is, we look for gap areas, we base curriculum on gap areas. It’s not a one size fits all.” “We are precise with our monitoring not just digital; it’s personalized. If two 5th graders are in the same classroom and learn at different paces – because of this curriculum – both can work at their own paces. They might be on two totally different math lessons.” • Patricia McCarter 22
June 2013 Initiatives
Top: Example of starting early with 1:1 Digital Initiative. Bottom: The Grissom Varsity Academic Team placed 2nd in the State Academic Tournament for the Alabama Scholastic Competition Association.
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I
The results of the Teach for America program in Huntsville City Schools are in, and they are dramatic. Teach for America is a national program that recruits and trains college graduates of all backgrounds to teach for two years with the goal of having immediate positive impact on their students. The largest concentration of the 30 TFA teachers in Huntsville was at Westlawn Middle School, where seven teachers were placed. Student achievement rose from 26% to 49% proficiency in math and from 23% to 37% proficiency in reading between spring 2012 and winter 2013 assessments. Huntsville City School Superintendent Casey Wardynski hopes to double the number of TFA teachers next year. The business community has also played a part: • Nearly 150 students from Westlawn Middle visited the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, with Dynetics providing buses, transportation, lunch and movie passes to inspire the next generation of science, math, and technology experts. • Another 30 students from Westlawn visited ADTRAN to learn about high-tech career opportunities in their community. ADTRAN is a leading global provider of networking and communications equipment. During their visit, the students were able to get a full tour of the campus. • Employees at Chamber member companies have tutored and sponsored teachers: Dynetics sponsored Jennifer Harden, a math teacher at Westlawn; ADTRAN sponsored Meg Huey, a science teacher at Westlawn; and Redstone Federal Credit Union sponsored Leigh Shergy, an English teacher at Ed White Middle. For more information, contact Rena Anderson at Rena.Anderson@hsv-k12.org or 256-428-6943. • Lucia Cape
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The Academy • Bob Jones High School • Columbia Elementary School • Discovery Middle School • Heritage Elementary School • Horizon Elementary School • James Clemens High School • Liberty Middle School • Madison Elementary School • Mill Creek Elementary School • Rainbow Elementary School • West Madison Elementary School
Madison City Schools T
he fastest growing city in Alabama also has one of the most lauded school districts in the entire Southeast. Bob Jones High School is perennially on the “America’s Best High Schools” list in U.S. News & World Report, Newsweek and The Washington Post. Madison students exceed the state and global pass rate in Advanced Placement, and ACT college test scores consistently surpass the national average by comfortable margins. More than 90 percent of Madison’s seniors go on to college or a post-secondary school, with approximately half doing so with scholarships. The Madison City School System serves 9,400 students and is on track to hit 10,000 within the next three years. While growth is generally viewed as positive, Madison City Schools Superintendent Dr. Dee Fowler insists that expansion must be “positive growth.” The district’s success lies in its focus of secure buildings, a dynamic curriculum, proficient experts for an array of student needs and ample professional development opportunities. The school district recently installed new security entrances at each school and is poised for a multimillion-dollar renovation of Bob Jones High School. The district’s crowning addition this past school year was the opening of the $58 million James Clemens High School, on time and under budget. Liberty Middle School was named again as a National Blue Ribbon School of Excellence. Horizon Elementary recently celebrated Alabama Outdoor Classroom Certification, the result of eight years to qualify, and was named a CLAS Banner school by a state school administrators association. Madison City Schools had two seniors making the prestigious White House Commission on Presidential Scholars list for 2013. This is an amazing accomplishment considering that only two per state are chosen along with a handful of at-large picks nationwide. The system’s use of advanced technology is also a priority. Every classroom is networked with Internet access, online resources and cable TV access, and iPads and laptops are increasingly being incorporated into the classroom learning experience.
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Students at Bob Jones High School packed 400 shoeboxes with school supplies, hygiene items and a toy for Guatemalan students.
Special Ed teacher Maureen Haas helps students with a rocket launching excercise at Rainbow Elementary in Madison.
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ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS continued from page 16
Lockheed Martin Celebrates 50 Years in Huntsville At Lockheed Martin’s 50th anniversary luncheon on May 1, Maj. Gen. John Holly (Ret.) – who serves as vice president of the company’s missile defense systems – said the same standard applies today as it did when it initiated a Huntsville presence in 1963: “Sheer excellence.” Hundreds of Lockheed Martin employees, retirees, customers and community leaders celebrated the anniversary. U.S. Rep. Mo Brooks said that Lockheed Martin has benefitted from great leadership over the past 50 years. “Lockheed Martin is still protecting America with missile defense,” Brooks said, adding that that component helps keep troops out of harm’s way. “... Thank you for what you do for our community and for keeping our country safe.” In other Lockheed Martin news, Maj. Gen. Jim Rogers (Ret.) has joined its team as the senior corporate executive at the Huntsville office, following 34 years of distinguished service in the U.S. Army. In this capacity he is responsible for integration of all
Lockheed Martin activities and programs within the Huntsville military and civilian communities. Lockheed Martin employs 1,200 personnel in Huntsville who manage and support the Army, Missile Defense and NASA programs. Those contracts exceed $30 billion. Prior to joining Lockheed Martin, Rogers was the commanding general for the Aviation and Missile Command at Redstone Arsenal. Rogers is a career ordnance officer, having served in tactical, operational and strategic sustainment roles throughout the world. From August 2008 to August 2010, he served as Commanding General of the 1st Theater Sustainment Command, Fort Bragg, N.C., with a forward headquarters in Kuwait. During this period, he supported the drawdown in Iraq and the simultaneous build-up of equipment and troops in Afghanistan. Rogers holds a bachelor’s degree from the United States Military Academy at West Point and a master’s degree from the University of Michigan. He is also a graduate of the U.S. Army War College.
A2Research NASA’s top Small Business Prime Contractor
GATR Alabama Manufacturer of the Year, Inducted into Hall of Fame
NASA recently recognized A2Research, a joint venture, as the Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year during an award ceremony in Washington D.C. This prestigious agency-wide recognition follows two years in which A2Research received the NASA Stennis Space Center Small Business Contractor of the Year Award. When presenting the Small Business Prime Contractor of the Year award, NASA Administrator Charles Bolden Jr. said, “Our industry partners are helping NASA remain the world leader in space exploration. Small business represents the best of the American spirit of innovation, the drive to solve problems and create solutions to our biggest challenges. We’re pleased to recognize the excellence of these entrepreneurs, whose work brings a great return on the taxpayers’ investment.” A2Research’s managing representative Autumn Sellars, said, “A2Research is honored to receive this recognition from NASA. We appreciate the focus NASA places on partnering with small businesses and we will continue to strive for excellence in performing this and future contracts with NASA.” A2Research provides gas, materials and environmental laboratory analysis; professional data reduction and analysis; maintenance of measurement standards; and the calibration and repair of instrumentation at NASA’s Stennis Space Center in Mississippi, where rocket engines are tested. A2Research has performed a laboratory services contract at Stennis since 2010. A2Research is a Small Business Administration joint venture between minority-woman-owned Alcyon Inc. based in Huntsville, Ala., and Alutiiq 3SG, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Afognak Native Corporation based in Anchorage, Alaska. • 26
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The Business Council of Alabama awarded GATR Technologies of Huntsville the Manufacturer of the Year Award on April 19 in the small manufacturer division (1-99 employees). MercedesBenz of Vance was honored at the top large manufacturer, while 3M Guin was recognized as the medium manufacturer. GATR, or Ground Antenna Transmit and Receive Technologies, has grown from its flower-shop startup in 2004 to a multi-million dollar operation that employs 40 people in north Alabama. The company makes locally designed and developed compact, portable, inflatable satellite antennas. Its products are used by the military, public safety agencies, humanitarian organizations and the intelligence community. The round antenna enables portable Internet access, voice-over Internet protocol, email, video teleconferencing, broadcast television and other high-bandwidth communica-
Paul Gierow with GATR antenna
Nearly 800 Lockheed employees work on the 57-acre Huntsville campus in Cummings Research Park. The campus has nine buildings – with room to grow – where work is done on NASA test programs and missile defense. Lockheed Martin is America’s largest defense contractor with 118,000 employees. •
John Holly speaks at Lockheed Martin celebration.
tions. The unique, compact product is portable and can be set up in remote areas. The company sells antennas of various sizes. They can be packed up and shipped as luggage on commercial flights. The awards program recognizes Alabama manufacturing enterprises that exhibit excellence in leadership, performance, profitability and work force relations. Winning manufacturers are selected by an independent panel of judges who look for demonstrations of superior performance in the areas of customer focus, employee commitment, operational excellence, continuous improvement, profitable growth and investment in training and retraining. Another honor was given to GATR on April 11 when it was inducted into the Space Technology Hall of Fame during a ceremony at the 29th National Space Symposium in Colorado Springs, Colo., for efforts relating to its inflatable antenna communication system technology. The technology evolved from a Small Business Innovation Research contract to develop a solar concentrator for power generation. In 2004, GATR Technologies adapted the technology initially for an inflatable prototype and then transformed it into a licensed product for ground-based communications. “I was happy standing next to the governor recognizing our team that manufactures a product in Alabama,” said GATR founder/CEO Paul Gierow said about winning the state manufacturing award, “while the week before I was standing with three astronauts including Buzz Aldrin celebrating our innovation success (at the Space Technology Hall of Fame awards).” •
Economic Development Highlights compiled by Patricia McCarter
Seamus Tuohy is New Executive Director for VCSI Dave King, chairman of the Von Braun Center for Science & Innovation (VCSI) Board of Directors has announced that Dr. Seamus Tuohy will be the new executive director of VCSI, effective June 10. Tuohy will replace Marty Kress, who has accepted a new position at Ohio State University. VCSI has also been recognized by SBA and DoD as the lead of one of three Advanced Defense Technology clusters. Tuohy hails from Louisiana, holds a Ph.D. from the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and is currently the director of Space Systems at Draper Laboratory in Cambridge, Mass. He brings considerable Tuohy business and technical acumen to VCSI and will help the center execute its current suite of projects and transition its pending projects with DoD and MDA into realities. Tuohy has worked with advanced technology and space programs since 1996. His past work addressed technical needs for human and robotic exploration, Earth climate monitoring, space science instruments and space superiority with
recent efforts including ISS, SLS, Orion and decision support systems for Earth observation and planetary autonomous landing and hazard avoidance. VCSI was established in 2006 by the Huntsville business, university, research and government community. It has enabled a wide array of collaborative projects and activities including
FASTSAT, a microsat currently in orbit; two lunar landers for NASA MSFC that are still actively utilized; Marcbot-N, an IED detecting robot for the US Army; and ACE, the Arctic Collaborative Environment that provides a web-based capability to view data in an environmental research and decision-support system on the Arctic region. •
HudsonAlpha Foundation Receives $2.5 Million Gift to Honor McMillian A new fund – complete with a $2.5 million endowment to honor one of the founders of HudsonAlpha – was announced at the institute’s annual fundraising gala. To the surprise of the man for which it was named, the Lonnie McMillian Inspiring Excellence Fund will be used to help recruit and retain the best researchers to HudsonAlpha. “We view this gift as a seed,” said gala speaker Danny Windham of Digium, “and hope to see it grow for many years to come.” Windham said his group had been working undercover for about a year to honor McMillian through the fund. McMillian is a serial entrepreneur who has impacted the Huntsville community through creation of wealth and jobs. He has quietly mentored dozens of engineers and has helped provide the wherewithal for numerous small businesses. Best known for founding Adtran with partner Mark Smith, McMillian in more recent years has supported biotech companies such as Diatherix, EGEN, Kailos Genetics, Serina Therapeutics and Conversant Bio. What is lesser known is McMillian’s philanthropy in the community, having frequently been labeled anonymous. In the case of HudsonAlpha, Windham said, “While it’s apparent who Mr. Hudson is, some of you may have wondered who Mr. Alpha is. All I can tell you is that public records list Lonnie McMillian as the president of the Alpha Foundation.” McMillian and Hudson co-founded HudsonAlpha in 2005. The Lonnie McMillian Inspiring Excellence Fund will progress the overall mission of the institute to advance genomics research, educational outreach and economic development. •
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2012 Small Business Award Winner: Government Contracting Category
SPOTLIGHT ON
Cummings Aerospace was selected the Government Contractor of the Year at the Chamber’s 2012 Small Business Awards. Here’s an interview with the CEO of Cummings Aerospace, Sheila Cummings.
A brief history of the winner ... Cummings Aerospace is an Economically Disadvantaged Woman-Owned Small Business (EDWOSB) founded in 2009 by President and CEO Sheila Cummings. Cummings Aerospace is headquartered in Huntsville, with corporate offices in Orlando and Niceville, Florida. Today, Cummings Aerospace employs 40 professionals across its corporate and customer locations.
Q: What does your company create/sell? A: Cummings Aerospace is a leading provider of high-value engineering solutions for complex systems in the aerospace, defense and intelligence industry. The company’s core competencies are in End-to-End Systems Engineering, Modeling and Simulation (M&S), Software Engineering, Test Planning and Execution, and Quality, Safety & Mission Assurance (QSMA). Cummings Aerospace engineers possess more than 20 years of system engineering expertise with the development of tactical and ballistic weapon systems, launch vehicles, kill vehicles, and command & control systems.
Q: What has been the company’s greatest achievement? p Sheila Cummings accepting the 2012 Small Business Award for Government Contracting Services from Chad Donald of the 2011 winner, Avion Solutions. q The Cummings Aerospace crew enjoying the VIP Reception after the awards celebration.
A: Cummings Aerospace’s greatest achievement over the last four years has been our ability to recruit an outstanding team of engineers and business professionals into the company. Their dedication and commitment resulted in tremendous growth during the first three years of business, outstanding customer satisfaction, and our achievement of ISO 9001:2008 certification in 2011.
Q: What are your goals for the next five to 10 years? A: My goal for Cummings Aerospace over the next five years is to continue to grow and diversify our business base through; expansion of our engineering capabilities into hardware manufacturing, increase our Internal Research & Development Program investments in simulation, software and sensor system technology development, establish partnerships with universities for joint technology development, and expand our community outreach efforts to include providing college scholarships for underprivileged students pursuing math, science, and engineering degrees. 28
June 2013 Initiatives
Enterprise IT Solutions Provider for Over 32 Years Leveraging leading edge IT solutions while protecting our Nation. • Zero Client solutions are Secure, Scalable, Green, and Cost Effective. • Cloud services provide efficient access to your data and services offering a wide range of capabilities. Sheila Cummings accepting her finalist award from the 2012 Chamber Vice Chair of Small Business, Miranda Bouldin of LogiCore. Q: What does it mean to you, both personally and professionally, to receive the government contractor award?
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A: Receiving the 2012 Government Contractor of the Year Small Business Award was a tremendous accomplishment for the company. Professionally, the award has provided a great deal of recognition with our customers and with other companies in the region. The award has also helped to differentiate Cummings Aerospace from the vast number of small businesses in our industry. Personally, I have to pinch myself every time I see the award in our lobby, I still can’t believe we won. The award is an affirmation of the hard work and perseverance it has taken to be successful in spite of all the challenges we’ve faced since the company began in 2009.
Q: How has being active in the Chamber helped you? A: Being a member of the Huntsville Chamber of Commerce has provided a tremendous opportunity for networking with other business and community leaders of Huntsville and the surrounding area. It has also provided access to resources that are extremely beneficial to a young, growing small business. •
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Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
2013 Washington DC Trip
TOP OF PAGE (L-R): SEN. MITCH MCCONNELL; GENE GOLDMAN, CHARLES BOLDEN; SEN. BARBARA MIKULSKI. ABOVE (L-R): SEN. RICHARD SHELBY; SEN. JEFF SESSIONS WITH TRIP ATTENDEES.
ABOVE (L-R): RON POTEAT, JIM ROGERS (LOCKHEED MARTIN–PRESENTING SPONSOR); ATTENDEES AT THE ROOFTOP RECEPTION. BELOW (L-R): REP. MO BROOKS, REP. ROBERT ADERHOLT, REP. TERRI SEWELL, REP. MIKE ROGERS.
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And the Winners Are ... Best Places to Work, Most Valuable Employees in Huntsville/Madison County
T
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Top: Representatives for the 2013 Best Places to Work winners. Bottom: Most of the 2013 Most Valuable Employee winners.
Best Places to Work event photos taken by Lauren Tomasella Photography
welve company and 12 individual winners of the Chamber of Commerce’s 2013 Best Places to Work were announced to a sold out crowd on May 15. First Commercial Bank was the presenting sponsor of the event, held at the Von Braun Center. BPTW was co-hosted by the North Alabama Society for Human Resource Management, or NASHRM. “Despite facing numerous challenges locally while dealing with a still-recovering economy, our business community still continued to be recognized as one of the nation’s leading places to launch, sustain and grow a business,” said Kim Lewis, the Chamber’s vice chair of Small Business and Events. Quantum Workplace measured and selected companies based on the following criteria: Team effectiveness, retention probability, alignment with goals, trust with co-workers, manager effectiveness, trust in senior leaders, feeling valued and work engagement. Once nominated, Quantum – a company that specializes in measuring workplace satisfaction around the country – administered a survey to employees and tabulated the results. Winners were based exclusively on the outcome of the employee surveys. • Patricia McCarter
2013 WINNERS Micro Category: (10-20 employees) Five Stones Research Corporation TriVector Services, Inc. Adams Homes Small Category: (21-35 employees) Nesin Therapy Services QTEC, Inc. Troy 7, Inc. Medium Category: (36-149 employees) Embassy Suites Hotel & Spa PeopleTec, Inc. Willbrook Solutions, Inc. Large Category: (150+ employees) Modern Technology Solutions, Inc. INTUITIVE URS
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Upcoming Cyber Conferences in Huntsville Fifth Annual Cyber Security Summit, June 6 Cyber Huntsville and the North Alabama Chapter of the Information Systems Security Association will bring the Fifth Annual Cyber Security Summit to Huntsville on June 6 at the Von Braun Center. Given the center stage cyber security has taken in government, health care and commercial sectors such as finance and banking, more than 500 attendees are expected to come hear an impressive slate of key industry speakers and see exhibitions sponsored by a number of major security vendors. The theme of this year’s Cyber Security Summit is “Lean Six Cyber: Continuous Improvement across All Cyber Domains.” The focus will be on such crucial development areas as: • Wide ranging technical and management presentations that give context to current challenges and solutions across a wide variety of cyber domains; • Dissemination of state-of-the-art cyber technologies through exhibitor and attendee interaction • Improvement of the technical workforce through development of professional working relationships with technically proficient individuals and organizations across a variety of cyber capabilities. The event is also a great opportunity to network with peers from industry, academia and the federal sector. Industry professionals can earn as many as eight Continuing Professional Education (CPE) credits through attendance. Interested attendees and exhibitors can register and obtain additional information at www.cyber-security-summit.org.
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Rocket City TakeDownCon Cyber Conference/Training, July 11-16 Bridging the gap between budget concerns from the recent sequester and President Obama’s call to reduce the cyber threat, the Rocket CityTakeDownCon offers delegates affordable access to industry’s most influential and knowledgeable speakers. The Rocket City TakeDownCon – hosted by International Council of E-Commerce Consultants partner Dynetics on July 11-16 – will deliver a comprehensive analysis of cyber security through industryleading training and thought-provoking keynotes. Delegates will spend Day 1 learning how even the most protected systems can be breached. Day 2 will be dedicated to learning how to utilize defense mechanisms that can thwart attacks. Keynote speaker Paul Coggin, an internetwork consulting solutions architect at Dynetics, will explain network attack vectors that an adversary can use to control and influence network traffic flows and exfiltrate data as well as techniques for protecting against attacks. Live, instructor-led training in Certified Ethical Hacker, Certified Hacking Forensics Instructor, Computer Security Analyst and Licensed Penetration Tester will also be available. Advanced hacking courses will be offered in Advanced Metasploit, Advanced Mobile Hacking and Forensics, and Advanced Network Defense. The Rocket City TakeDownCon offers those hit by budget cuts the opportunity to gain certifications and training at a non-prohibitive rate. To learn more about The Rocket City TakeDownCon, go to: www. takedowncon.com/rocketcity. For more information about EC-Council, visit www.eccouncil.org.
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