Montgomery Business Journal – January 2011

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January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal


Montgomery Business Journal January 2011


January 2011

23

8

Contents

5

ATHENA Award Winner

6

Publisher’s Column

7

Calendar

8

Member Profile: MOBIS Alabama

10

Economic Summit

13

NAACP Award Winner

14

Total Resource Campaign

16

Investor Profile: Advertiser Media Group

18

Q&A with Pam Swanner

22

Guest Commentary with Welch Hornsby & Welch

23

Guest Commentary with Jackson Thornton

24

Existing Industry Tour

26

138th Chamber Annual Meeting

28

New Chamber Chairman Larry Puckett

SPECIAL INSERT: 2011 Business Plan

28

32

Business Buzz

41

New Members

45

Members on the Move

46

Ribbon Cuttings and Ground Breakings

47

Economic Intel

18 16 January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal


THE NUMBER ONE BUSINESS SOURCE FOR MONTGOMERY AND THE RIVER REGION PUBLISHER

Randall L. George Executive Editor

Tina McManama Managing Editor

David Zaslawsky COpy Editor

Brooke Thorington Design

Copperwing Design Photography

Jamie Martin On the cover:

Larry Puckett, president of Larry Puckett Chevrolet, is the 2011 Chairman of the Board for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Advertising:

Linda Drumheller 334-240-9494 mbjsales@montgomerychamber.com

Montgomery Business Journal c/o Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Post Office Box 79 41 Commerce Street Montgomery, Alabama 36101 Telephone: 334-834-5200 Fax: 334-265-4745 Email: mbj@montgomerychamber.com www.montgomerychamber.com/mbj The Montgomery Business Journal (USPS NO. 025553) is published monthly except for the combined issues of June/July and November/December, by the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, 41 Commerce Street, Montgomery AL 36104, (334) 834-5200, www.montgomerychamber.com. Subscription rate is $30 annually. Periodicals Postage Paid at Montgomery Alabama, 36119+9998, USPS NO. 025553. Volume 3, Issue 1. POSTMASTER send address changes to Montgomery Business Journal, c/o Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, P.O. Box 79, 41 Commerce Street, Montgomery AL 36101, or email mbj@montgomerychamber.com. The Montgomery Business Journal welcomes story ideas from its readers. Email to: editor@montgomerychamber.com. Subscriptions are a part of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce dues structure. Subscriptions can also be purchased for $30 per year at www.montgomerychamber.com/mbjsub.

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011


Crowning Achievement First ATHENA Award recipient ends career on high note by David Zaslawsky

When Doni M. Ingram was executive director of the Crenshaw County Economic and Industrial Development Authority she helped recruit five Hyundai suppliers to the area. She said that the South Korean executives she was recruiting called her “mama.” She recalled saying, ‘I know I’m the oldest in the room.’ ” Ingram said she was quickly told by one of those executives that being called mama “was the highest honor we give a female.” Those executives still visit her and bring her Korean pears, but they now come to the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs where Ingram has been since 2006 and has been the director since June 2009. She not only recruited the Hyundai suppliers to Crenshaw County, but also located Sister Schubert’s Homemade Rolls there and earlier when Ingram worked in Pike County she recruited VT Miltope. That firm later consolidated and is located in Montgomery. She organized and established the Pike County Chamber of Commerce and served as its first executive director. Ingram has come a long way from being one of the first three female Chamber executives in the state – she was at Troy and the other two were at Cullman and Foley – to being named the first recipient of the ATHENA Award. That prestigious award was presented during the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce’s Women In Business Annual Gathering last November. The award is presented to a woman who has “demonstrated excellence, creativity and initiative in their business and profession; provided valuable community service and assisted women in attaining their leadership potential.” The award became a crowning achievement for Ingram, who said she is retiring in midJanuary, ending a 31-year professional career. “It is always an honor to be the first recipient of the award here in Montgomery,” Ingram said. “It’s not often you get the opportunity to be the first.”

Montgomery’s first ATHENA Award winner Doni M. Ingram (center) is flanked by Robin Barca (left), chair of the Women In Business Forum’s steering committee and Candace Love. Ingram, director of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs, is retiring in January.

Actually, at the awards program at Wynlakes Golf and Country Club, Ingram thought she was the third-place finisher. Her name was called and she received a pin. The other finalists – Dr. Julia Isherwood, a pediatric dentist; and Lynn Mathison and Brenda Engelbert, owners of Mathison Interiors; were also honored. Then the ATHENA Award winner was announced and Ingram said she was shocked. “It just blew me away when they said me,” Ingram said. Ingram’s achievements are too numerous to list here. She has worked for many children’s groups; educational programs and is currently executive director of the Black Belt Action Commission. “When I got up there (to accept the award) and after they told everybody all that I did and I said, ‘You know that I dye my hair.’ ” She said the award meant a lot because it was from the Chamber and she has worked closely with Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce President Randy George and Ellen McNair, senior vice president, corporate development. She said that

George’s predecessor, Tom Blake, was one of her mentors. Ingram said that she told a co-worker: “Did you see my Academy Award because to me that’s sort of what it’s like.” It didn’t just take a 31-year professional career to receive the ATHENA Award. Ingram said she spent 30 to 40 hours filling out a nomination form after spilling out the contents of a box containing newspaper clippings she kept throughout her career. Ingram said that her assistant Pam Gates said Montgomery County District Attorney Ellen Brooks had nominated Ingram for the award. Ingram recalled meeting Brooks just once – during a Women In Business Forum luncheon where Ingram was the featured speaker. “She must have liked what I said,” Ingram said. “A lot of years – good times.”

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal


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Publisher’s Column Happy New Year!

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This special expanded issue of the Montgomery Business Journal includes the Chamber’s 2011 Business Plan. The Plan covers your Chamber’s main objectives, and the strategies we developed to achieve those objectives. Also included is a list of your 2011 Board of Directors along with a Chamber senior staff directory. I suggest you keep this issue on your desk all year. It is the road map for Montgomery and the River Region’s success in 2011. In this month’s cover story, get an introduction to Larry Puckett. He shares his goals as this year’s Chairman of the Board, and his vision for the future of the River Region. Each Chamber Member will also receive their 2011 Member decal and plaque inside one specially-bagged issue of the magazine. Display yours prominently and let your clients and customers know you are a proud member of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Developing the annual business plan for the New Year is an opportunity to reflect on our 2010 successes, and we had many - Chairman of the Board Larry Puckett touches on the highlights in his Business Plan letter. It is also a time to recommit ourselves to the mission of the Chamber: Committed to exceptional service, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce works to enhance the economic well-being of the business community and enhance the quality of life of the area through the creation and preservation of jobs.

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Enjoy this expanded issue of the Montgomery Business Journal‌ Here’s to a successful and prosperous New Year!

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Montgomery Business Journal January 2011


Calendar Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Events

January

February

3

1

12 12 21 26 27 27 31

BUSINESS PLANNING SEMINAR 4 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery Fee: $10 at the door, registration not required 60 MINUTE COFFEE Sponsored by Henig Furs & Leathers 8 AM @ Henig Furs & Leathers 7449 EastChase Parkway, Montgomery Free event, registration not required SMALL BUSINESS LOAN CLINIC 12 Noon @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members STATE OF THE CITY & COUNTY Presenting Sponsor: AT&T Alabama 7:30 AM – 8:30 AM @ RSA Activity Center 201 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery Registration: www.montgomerychamber.com/citycounty BUSINESS TRAINING & DEVELOPMENT SERIES Presenting Sponsor: The Deli at Alley Station 12 PM – 1 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery Registration: www.montgomerychamber.com/BT&D Contact: Heidi Ellis hellis@montgomerychamber.com or 334-240-6863 BUSINESS TAX SEMINAR Two Sessions: 3 PM & 6 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery Free event, open to the public BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Sponsored by Marquirette’s Exquisite Jewelry 5 PM @ Marquirette’s 7818 Vaughn Road, Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber members Eggs & Issues with Senator Richard Shelby Presenting Sponsor: Alabama State University 7:30 AM @ RSA Activity Center 201 Dexter Avenue, Montgomery Details and registration: www.montogmerychamber.com/shelby

7 9 21 24

ENTREPRENEURIAL UNIVERSITY Presenting Sponsor: Alabama State University 6 PM – 8 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery Contact: Heidi Ellis hellis@montgomerychamber.com or 334-240-6863 Registration: www.montgomerychamber.com/EU BUSINESS PLANNING SEMINAR 4 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery Fee: $10 at the door, registration not required 60 MINUTE COFFEE Sponsored by The Deli at Alley Station 8 AM @ The Deli at Alley Station 130 Commerce Street, Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members BUSINESS PLANNING SEMINAR 4 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery Fee: $10, registration not required BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Sponsored by Regions Bank 5 PM @ Regions Bank 201 Monroe Street, Montgomery Free event, registration not required

Convention Calendar compiled by the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Convention and Visitor Bureau

JANUARY 13-17 18-20

The American Legion Conference

19-22

Alabama Music Educators Association Conference

31-2/3

Alabama Association of Chiefs of Police Conference

Alabama Association of Realtors Leadership Conference

FEBRUARY 10-12

Alabama Cattlemen Association Annual Meeting

28-3/2

School Superintendent Legislative Conference

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal


Member Profile

Chul Soo Kim is president and CEO of Montgomery-based MOBIS Alabama, LLC.

Bright Future MOBIS Alabama sets sights on becoming a top 5 global auto part supplier by Jennifer Kornegay

MOBIS Alabama President and CEO Chul Soo Kim has only been in Montgomery and the United States since January 2010, but he’s taken to his new home quite easily.

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011


MOBIS Alabama, LLC Incorporated

2002; began production in 2005 Number of employees

800

Primary products

A brief chat weighing the merits of Korean barbecue vs. Southern barbecue was followed by a more serious discussion of MOBIS Alabama’s past, present and future. After the initial news broke about Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA) coming to Montgomery, wave after wave of exciting economic development announcements concerning its suppliers kept rolling in. MOBIS Alabama was one of those, and in March 2005, the Tier-I supplier began production in its 1 million square-foot-facility. The transition to America was a smooth one, according to Kim. “When we started production here, our suppliers and vendors were very cooperative,” he said. “It was a great support system. We also had great support from the city and the state, particularly with our work force training. We found a good work force here; it was beyond our expectations.” Like HMMA, MOBIS Alabama is the first of its kind as the company’s first U.S. facility, and within its walls, three separate divisions build multiple components used by Hyundai and by the new Kia plant in West Point, Ga. MOBIS Alabama includes the Montgomery location and a similar plant in Georgia, which just started production last year and supplies Kia, too. Now, MOBIS also has a plant in Toledo, Ohio, that manufactures chassis modules for Chrysler. The 800 employees at the Montgomery plant build complete cockpit and chassis modules for HMMA in the module division, and in the plastics division, they manufacture molded and painted bumpers and instrument panels for use by both HMMA and Kia. The third division, the redistribution center, ships service parts to distributors across the nation.

Tier-I supplier for Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, producing complete cockpit and chassis modules; molded and painted bumpers; and instrument panels Adjusting to the continual changes in the automotive industry is a key part of success in the business, and Kim feels that MOBIS Alabama is handling what he terms “a balancing act” very well. “The industry changes rapidly, and we must react to those changes to remain competitive,” he said. “Our goal is to become the top 5 global auto part supplier by 2020, and it will be a challenge to do it. Right now, we are ranked 12th.” If Kim is following the advice of the large banner over his desk, MOBIS Alabama is in the right hands to accomplish that goal. The text is in Korean, but loosely translates to say, “Be diligent every day, and you’ll have no trouble.” For now, MOBIS Alabama is concentrated on ramping up its production volume for the Sonata and the Elantra. “More than 300,000 vehicles will be built (in 2011),” Kim said. “That’s not bad.” The company is also expanding its plastics plant by 166,000 square feet to meet the demand for more bumpers and instrument panels as part of a $50.5 million capital investment. The expansion is creating 250 jobs. “Our recent history shows that MOBIS Alabama has a bright future here,” Kim said. “And we want to build that future with the people of Montgomery.” •

Kim has enjoyed a 25-year-career with MOBIS. He spent most of that time on the research and development side and moved to production in 2006, which eventually led him here. And, so far, he likes what he sees. “The outdoor environment here is very beautiful, so green,” he said. “I’ve not yet experienced all the culture and customs of this area, but I’m looking forward to that.” A recent change at HMMA, the move of Santa Fe production to the Kia plant in Georgia, won’t have a huge impact at MOBIS Alabama. “We will still make the bumper and instrument panels here and ship them to our Georgia location, which will then assemble them for Kia,” Kim said. Last October, MOBIS Alabama began producing modules for the 2011 Hyundai Elantra, which will be manufactured at the HMMA facility.

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal


Optimism Returns Experts: Fragile economy will improve in 2011 by David Zaslawsky

Business officials and elected officials gathered to hear about the state of the economy. They learned why the economy is performing the way it is and how it may perform in the future. They heard from a myriad of experts discussing a wide range of topics from foreclosures to office space; from shopping centers to monetary and fiscal policies; from residential real estate to the political and economical ramifications of the local, state and national elections. They heard about the good, the bad and the ugly, but there was a consensus that the economy however fragile is improving during Auburn University at Montgomery’s 8th annual economic summit. Charles McCrary, president and CEO of Alabama Power, summed up the economy this way: “The recovery will be slow and it will be painful, but it is happening. One thing we do know is there will be change and when there is change you can be either the victim of change or the beneficiary. All you have to do to be the victim is do nothing, but to be the beneficiary you will have to adapt, look forward and solve the problems that we know are there.” Auburn University at Montgomery economics professor Keivan Deravi, who is a special assistant to the chancellor, said that economic indicators that he tracks are improving. He said that “diesel demand is up pretty healthy” and that means truckers are moving goods back and forth. “It’s either an inventory buildup or a build-up for the holiday season or something else,” Deravi said at the half-day event at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center. Deravi also monitors demand for cardboard and cartons, which is also increasing and another sign of goods being produced and shipped.

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Montgomery Business Journal January 2011

But there’s more. He said light vehicle sales in Three of the panelists for the Auburn University at Montgomery and October reached 12 million Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce’s 8th Annual River Region on an annualized basis – the Economic Summit were (from left) Kevin Ketzler, vice president of Alfa Insurance Companies; Carl Bartlett, senior vice president of Jim Wilson first time for that plateau in & Associates; and James K. Lowder, chairman of The Colonial Company. two years. He noted that the Institute for Supply we’re hungry. We have gone through the worst Management reported an of the worst. Things are going to get better.” increase in production. Don’t forget about the 151,000 jobs created last October, which was He said that Alabama’s housing starts in the first time for such a strong increase. late 2011 will be better than 80 percent The City of Montgomery is also showing pronounced signs of an economic recovery. After declining nearly $10 million from 2008 to 2009, sales tax revenue actually increased in 2010. Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said that in October, lodging taxes rose $200,000-plus (18.3 percent) and sales tax revenue jumped $1.1 million (15.5 percent). That gave the city’s coffers a $1.3 million bump for one month. “I call that a trend,” Strange said. He also pointed to the city’s reserves, which rose to a comfortable $5.5 million. The mayor, who likes to say that “government is the primer of the pump” for economic development, will be doing $67 million worth of priming the pump. The city purchased 14 properties on Lower Dexter and developers have submitted proposals for some or all the properties. The City of Montgomery also bought One Court Square, where Strange is considering a library and children’s museum. Money has been set aside for road projects, Dexter Avenue streetscape, Cramton Bowl improvements, construction of a new multipurpose sports facility and numerous projects in the West Montgomery Initiative. The residential real house market took a major hit during the recession, but James K. Lowder, chairman of The Colonial Co., said, “We’re beat down, bruised and a little bloody, but we’re still here. We’re lean; we’re mean;

of the country, citing a forecast from the National Association of Home Builders. That organization is predicting that fourth-quarter housing starts in 2011 will be comparable to the average during 2000-2003 – much better numbers than today’s market. Although it’s a bit further in the future, Lowder’s most encouraging words were from an economist who is forecasting 16 million new homes will be built between 2010 and 2020. Even non-math majors know that’s an average of 1.6 million new homes a year, but compare that with today’s marketplace of 300,000 to 400,000 units a year. The lone bright spot in office space is “there is not a lot of new product coming on the market,” said Kevin Ketzler, vice president of Alfa Insurance Companies. He said it takes three to four years for a new office building to come on line “and there is time to absorb some of the vacancies.” Ketzler said recovery will be when investors start buying office buildings at reduced prices. Prattville Mayor Jim Byard Jr. said, “We are in a challenging time, but challenges create opportunities. When you’re challenged in life you either become bitter or you can become better and we as a region have chosen to become better.” •


Consultants call state election ‘transformative’ by David Zaslawsky Republican political consultant Dax Swatek and Democratic pollster John Anzalone have their differences. The two have different interpretations about the national mid-term elections. They each have their own philosophies about tax cuts and spending. But the two also share some perspectives. Both Dax Swatek told participants at Auburn University at Montgomery’s 28th economic summit that ethics reforms will be approved. Both said they would like to see the role of lobbyists diminished and spending on lawmakers limited to “a cup of coffee” a day. Perhaps the most interesting area of agreement was the statewide Legislature results were a “transformative” election. “I think Republicans will keep both chambers for a long time,” said Anzalone, who is a partner in the firm AnzaloneLiszt Research. “Republican control of the Legislature is not going to change for a long, long time,” said Swatek, president of Swatek & Associates.

John Anzalone

Here are some other highlights from the economic summit held at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center:

Regional economic development Prattville Mayor Jim Byard Jr. called Montgomery the “economic engine” of the River Region. “We are anchored to Montgomery and we are certainly working closely together. Things that are going on in Montgomery are important to Prattville and things that are going on in Prattville or Millbrook or other communities are important to the River Region. We are a region and we are beginning to think like a region.” The Federal Reserve Julius Weyman, regional executive of the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta (Birmingham branch) defended the Fed’s plan to inject about $110 billion a month in the economy over an eight-month period. He said reason is “to make sure you don’t pull the rug out from under the economic recovery before it actually gets a chance to finish.” He said the Fed’s moves are motivated by high unemployment and the downward pressure on prices. “We can do a lot on the inflation side of the equation, but I’ll be very frank with you – it’s extremely difficult to battle deflation. Once you are in it, it’s hard to get out.” He said if the quantitative easing does increase inflation, which is one of the concerns, the Fed “will act quickly, swiftly and boldly” to prevent escalating prices. Globalization Nearly half of the revenue from major corporations now comes from overseas, said Keivan Deravi, special assistant to the Auburn University at Montgomery chancellor. Deravi, who is also an economics Continued On page 12

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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Continued from page 11

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professor, said that for some major U.S. companies about 80 percent of their revenue is from overseas. “Globalization is here to stay and as demand in the United States is weak – demand in India and China is going through the roof.”

Shopping centers Carl Bartlett, a senior vice president of Jim Wilson & Associates, said there was 9.8 square feet of retail space per person in 1970 and now that number has swelled to 23.4 square feet of retail space per person. “We overbuilt the market,” he said.

Foreclosures RealtyTrac, which collects data from 2,200 counties and has the country’s largest database of foreclosures and bank-owned properties, is expecting foreclosure levels to peak in 2011. Rick Sharga, senior vice president of RealtyTrac, said there will be a high level of foreclosure activity in 2012 and in 2013 “you will see numbers approach normal levels.” He said current loans are performing the way they have historically. He is expecting between 3 million and 3.2 million foreclosures this year – about two million more than 2007. He said it will take three years to absorb the three million distressed properties. “The housing market is improving – it’s moving in the right direction,” he said.

“That’s the reason you have a lot of vacancies. We thought sales would always continue (increasing) and they have not. We are really paying a price for that.” He said there will only be a few large retail developments in the next two to four years.”

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011

Residential real estate New home building permits reached nearly 1,300 in 2004 and that number was about 300 in 2009 and exceeded 300 in 2010. James K. Lowder, chairman of The Colonial Co., summed up the residential real estate market in 2008 and 2009 as “ugly.” He said new homes typically amount to 20 percent to almost 25 percent of all homes sold in the Montgomery market. That number has declined to 12 percent. But prices are beginning to rise and the average number of days on the market is beginning to fall.

Office space About 50 percent of all the tenants lease up to 2,499 square feet and another 20 percent lease 2,500 square feet to 4,999 square feet, according to Kevin Ketzler, vice president of Alfa Insurance Companies. He said 62 percent of the leases are going to expire over the next six years “and all of those tenants know what the market rate is and they will renegotiate for lower rates.” Those lower rental rates impact the value of office buildings and “there are just not a lot of buyers out there,” he said. Future issues Before the Great Recession hit and wiped out millions of jobs, business executives in Alabama were concerned about finding skilled workers. That again will be an issue when the economy improves, said Alabama Power President and CEO Charles McCrary. He urged participants at the economic summit to focus on educating and training the work force. He said the secret to success in economic development is cooperation between city, county and surrounding areas. •


Driving to the Top Concierge Services Inc. owner receives award from NAACP by David Zaslawsky

When David Sadler enrolled in the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce’s Entrepreneurial University he had an idea for a trash pick-up service. After he graduated from the Entrepreneurial University he came away with a different idea – a transportation business called Concierge Services Inc. His niche was providing a service that falls somewhere between taxies and limousines. He wanted to test his business plan in the real world, which to Sadler meant giving free rides to airports and other locations in Montgomery. One of those free rides was transporting a pair of bird dogs to South Dakota, a 38-hour round trip. The client, a retired attorney, did pay for gas. “I didn’t have anything to do that weekend – that was my weekend,” Sadler said. Sadler, who has a marketing degree from Edinboro University in Pennsylvania, offered free rides for two or three months and learned that he had a viable business plan. “At first we were just an airport shuttle, but through the request of clients we were asked if, ‘Could you could take me here and could you take me there,’ ” Sadler said. “We drove quite a few older clients to the airport and their children would say, ‘My parents don’t drive, would you be willing to take them to the doctor or other places?’ Of course, at Concierge Services we do whatever the clients ask.” Sadler also made cold calls to businesses, pitching them on reduced travel costs. “We decided to go after corporate clients who have to travel for business anyway,” Sadler said. He said he showed potential clients “how I could reduce travel expenses and increase productivity; allow their employees to rest when they needed to rest or work when they needed to inside the vehicle,” Sadler said.

The strategies worked so well that in the three years since he opened the business, Concierge Services grew from one vehicle and one driver (Sadler) to five vehicles and four part-time drivers. His success has not gone unnoticed. He recently learned that the Alabama State Conference of the National Association for the Advancement of Colored People (NAACP) selected Concierge Services for the 2010 Minority-Owned Business of the Year Award. “To me it says that all the hard work – the persistence, courtesy and the kindness to our clients is paying off because the award came from a recommendation,” Sadler said. “Somebody submitted our name to the NAACP. It was not something we were aiming for.” Sadler planned to expand his business by offering two new services: A designated driving service and Call Dad. The designated driving service will include taking clients to an entertainment venue and taking them home. Another option is having someone from the company drive the client’s vehicle home. Sadler said that service is geared toward the professional and will be discreet. In the Call Dad program, Concierge Services employees will also drive a client home, but instead of having two associates on the trip – one drive to the client’s vehicle and one to drive the Concierge Services’ vehicle – there will be one associate. That associate will have a fold-up motorized scooter that goes up to 25 mph to 30 mph. The associate puts the scooter in the trunk of the client’s vehicle, takes the client home and returns on the scooter. Sadler said his employees will be stationed near The Alley. The trips to a client’s home will be limited to less than 10 miles.

David Sadler is the owner of Concierge Services Inc.

Sadler’s firm was one of only two companies that was used to transport Hyundai Motor Co. officials. He said he learned from watching the Hyundai employees “always be professional because you never know who you have in the car – always treat that person like it is the CEO of Hyundai.” •

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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Total Resource Campaign shatters record! by David Zaslawsky

Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Chairman Nimrod T. Frazer Jr. joined a contingent of Montgomery officials to attend the Los Angeles Auto Show. At the auto show, Hyundai unveiled its 2011 Elantra, which will be produced at Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama’s facility in Montgomery, where the Sonata is also manufactured.

Nimrod T. Frazer Jr. (left) was the chairman of the Total Resource Campaign (TRC) last year while he was the Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Gene Crane, who chaired the 2009 TRC, was member and investor relations task force chairman for the Chamber last year, accepts the top team award for Whitney Bank.

While at the auto show, Frazer, the chair of the Chamber’s Total Resource Campaign (TRC), asked how much money had been raised “because I knew we were closing in on the goal,” he said. Frazer said he pleaded to hear the total and was told “ ‘that it was imminent that we would go over the goal.’ I, of course, was elated to hear that.” He later heard that day that there was a miscommunication leading to the loss of a $9,000 sale. Some of that loss was later recouped, according to Frazer, but the lost revenue “brought us down below our goal.” From the beginning, Frazer thought the goal of $700,000 was “ambitious,” especially considering a slow economic recovery. “I thought it was going to be very challenging to reach our goal of $700,000,” Frazer said. “I’ll be the first to say that I thought it was a stretch to reach our goal, but once I saw the enthusiasm, how hard the volunteers were working and the feedback I was getting from some who were telling me that they were getting two or three calls from different people on the campaign trying to get them to buy products, I knew we were covering a lot of ground.”

Fast forward to the TRC celebration and before the final tally was announced, it was guarded much like a state secret. “I was shocked that the number was as high as it was when the final number was disclosed,” Frazer said. That final number of $760,974 is an all-time record in the campaign’s five-year history, shattering the previous mark by more than $50,000. The TRC funds the Chamber’s programs, events, publications, electronic media and aids in member recruitment. “We are very grateful and appreciative that the membership at-large, Board of Directors and leaders of the Committee of 100 supported the TRC,” Frazer said. “I want to say what a privilege and honor it is to serve as chairman of the Chamber, but more importantly to have the opportunity to serve as the chairman of the TRC during that same year,” Frazer said. Frazer, who was the first Chamber chairman to serve as TRC chair during the same year, said the 2010 campaign was a huge success for a number of reasons. He cited the enthusiasm from the top leadership. He said the training manual for the volunteer salespeople was excellent. “We also had an excellent product book that made a huge difference,” Frazer said. “It made things very simple. I put myself in the seat of a perspective buyer and it made it very easy to go through and see what products would be of interest to their company or area of expertise.” He said the product guide not only made it easier for the buyer, but for the sellers, too. Frazer said the campaign also received a boost from providing professional development training sessions exclusively for TRC volunteers and members of the TRC Resource Council. The training sessions featured productivity expert Laura Stack and self-marketing expert Jeff Beals. “I think the CEOs appreciated that the Chamber brought in such qualified experts

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Montgomery Business Journal January 2011


and offered them exclusively for the members who were working on the TRC,” Frazer said. He said the training would enhance the volunteers’ abilities and make them more valuable to their companies. There was another key reason for the recordsetting campaign and that was the Chamber chairman calling on CEOs to participate in the TRC. “I’ve got to believe it had some impact,” Frazer said. “If the roles were reversed and the chairman called me, it would certainly get my attention and make me especially interested in supporting the campaign.” Frazer said that he contacted between 50 and 60 top leaders and noted that 80plus members of the Committee of 100, which has more than 100 members, made commitments to purchase TRC products. He said that 65 percent to 70 percent of the Board of Directors also bought products in the campaign. “Just in those two entities alone, I was thrilled,” he said. Frazer also credits the TRC Resource Council as playing a pivotal role in the campaign’s

Year

Amount raised

Chairperson

2006

$553,365

Ray Petty

2007

$706,000

Larry Puckett

2008

$669,907

Gene Crane

2009

$683,360

Guy Davis

2010

$760,974

Nim Frazer

success. That council has past TRC chairmen and top producers from previous campaigns. From listening to the top producers, Frazer said that he learned they wanted more recognition for their achievements and more face time with the business leaders. Frazer explained that was why the Board of Directors meeting was combined with a TRC celebration. That enabled the top producers from the TRC campaign to be recognized in front of Board members as well as an opportunity to attend a board meeting and mingle with business leaders after the meeting.

Of course, Frazer noted that checks also help motivate the volunteers, who are working on commission. The 2010 campaign also featured corporate teams, which Frazer said boosted camaraderie and enthusiasm. “I see it (TRC) as a win-win for volunteers,” Frazer said. “They have an opportunity to support their community and support their Chamber. I think it certainly has to be uplifting to be part of a successful TRC, they get experience in sales, they sharpen their sales and business skills and they get an opportunity to expose their company to other volunteers and Board members.” •

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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Investor Profile

Don Henderson is the president and chief executive officer of Jackson Hospital & Clinic, Inc. Samuel P. Martin, president and publisher of the Advertiser Media Group.

FromWords Toactions ‘Making a difference beyond the pages of the paper’ by David Zaslawsky

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Montgomery Business Journal January 2011


The lifetime achievement award presented at the annual Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts is named for longtime banker Frank Plummer.

He is requiring his senior leadership to all serve on at least one board that is also community focused and said they will be given time to do that.

He helped found the arts organization 30-plus years ago and Samuel P. Martin, president and publisher of the Advertiser Media Group, wants to live by the words he heard at the awards program.

“My philosophy on community service goes back to the role of the newspaper in the community,” Martin said. “We’re not just here to sell newspapers every day. We need to be part of this community. We need to be making a difference beyond the pages of the paper. We need to be out there in the community working and we are working toward that.”

Martin said, “There are four commitments we need to make: We have a commitment to our shareholders. We have a commitment to our employees. We have a commitment to our customers. We have a commitment to our community. “Those are not my words, but I like them. I thought those words are perfect. I hope I can drive home those same four commitments within the walls of the Montgomery Advertiser.” The Montgomery Advertiser is the core business of the Advertiser Media Group. Martin, who came to the Advertiser Media Group about seven months ago from The Boston Globe, has taken to steps to increase the company’s role in community service. “We have established a relationship with MACOA (Montgomery Area Council on Aging) and we are working with them on Wheels On Meals. We have also adopted a school,” Martin said. “Our focus on community service will be on literacy,” Martin said. “You are going to see us do more and more things with schools like tutoring. That means our folks being out there.” A community service committee was formed at the company with a goal of employees giving a combined 2,500 hours of community service a year. “What we told our folks when we launched this program was if they commit one hour a month of community service we’ll give them a paid day off work,” Martin said. “We’re trying to get every single employee to commit one hour a month – that’s our goal; that’s our vision.” The commitment to community service is not just for the rank-and-file. Martin said that in addition to serving on a couple of business boards he is “looking for a board or two that is much more community-service focused that will allow me to have a much broader role.”

The newspaper also has numerous partnerships with organizations such as the Montgomery Zoo, Alabama Shakespeare Festival, the Montgomery Ballet and Montgomery Symphony Orchestra to name just a few. The community may not be aware of the Advertiser Media Group’s commitment to community service and Martin feels that the company is sometimes misunderstood. “There is no agenda,” he said. “We’re doing the best we can. I truly believe that we are the most essential of all the medias out there. I think we are less biased and we are less sensationalized than the other medias. I think we do the best job giving people an in-depth view of (events and issues).” He also feels the public may not realize that the majority of employees are from the community. “This place is not run by a bunch of outsiders,” Martin said. “I understand that I am an outsider and some of my hires have been outsiders, but we are a family here. We have a lot of folks that have been here that are from here and care about the community. “What I found coming here is that this is a great community, where people care and people are committed to the community. I think that the folks that are imports care about this community and I think we want to make a difference in this community.” Martin has some big plans for the year including a partnership with Yahoo. The company will be selling behavioral targeting as well as geographic and demographic targeting. The Advertiser will print the daily Ledger-Enquirer from Columbus, Ga. and will

Advertiser Media Group Number of employees

200-plus Products

Montgomery Advertiser, Prattville Progress, Millbrook Progress, Wetumpka Progress, Maxwell-Gunter Dispatch, Bulletin Board, montgomeryadvertiser.com, several custom publications (seniors and brides), upscale lifestyle magazine, an East Montgomery weekly publication print the advance sections and inserts for the Macon Telegraph in Georgia. “I describe the Advertiser Media Group as a multi-platform media company whose goal is to be the leader in providing news, information and advertising to the River Region,” Martin said. “The big thing for us (this) year will be really understanding how this multi-platform selling works and how we sell the Advertiser Media Group vs. having to sell in silos because we’ve sold in silos for a long time,” Martin said, referring to the various publications the company produces. “A lot of people just see themselves as a business that’s in the community to make money,” he said. “We are here to make money, but we realize our mission is much more than that. Our biggest responsibility is to make sure that we are unwavering in our commitment … that we make sure that this is an informed community and that we do that to the best of our ability without biases and preconceived views that may influence what we talk to the community about.”

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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‘Super Recreational Site’ Q&A with Pam Swanner Pam Swanner is the project manager for Alabama Black Belt Adventures. She was recently interviewed by Montgomery Business Journal Managing Editor David Zaslawsky. Montgomery Business Journal: What is Alabama Black Belt Adventures? Swanner: It is a not-for-profit organization, which has a primary focus to promote the outdoor recreational assets found in a 23-county region that makes up the Black Belt region. MBJ: How did the organization get started?

Pam Swanner is the project manager for Alabama Black Belt Adventures.

Outdoor recreation National Number of participants: 33.9 million Number of wildlife observers: 71.1 million Alabama residents Number of participants: 910,000 Number of fishing participants: 600,000 Number of hunters: 310,000 Number of wildlife observers: 1 million Out-of-state participants: 287,000 Number of fishing participants: 206,000 Number of hunters: 81,000 Number of wildlife observers: 156,000 Source: U.S. Fishing and Wildlife Service

Recreation spending National: $76.7 billion Alabama residents: $1 billion Out-of-state: $293 million Source: U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service

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Montgomery Business Journal January 2011

Swanner: For many years there were many committees that came together to contemplate the fate of the Black Belt region. We all know that it is lacking in infrastructure and work force to support major industrial development. This region continued to see a dwindling of jobs and growth was almost non-existent. We represent 23 counties and that’s 35 percent of the total number of counties (67) in Alabama. It’s a huge section of our state. Thomas Harris is the founding father of this initiative. He garnered a lot of support. MBJ: How do you characterize the Black Belt region? Swanner: If you take a look at what’s available there and it’s all due to the black, rich nutrient soil. For many years, crops supported the region. There is an abundance of wildlife because of that lush vegetation that this rich, black soil supports. There are over 60 hunting and fishing lodges scattered throughout this 23-county region. It is quietly known as a hunting area. We are trying to capitalize on those natural resources and trying to (create) a partnership with lodge owners, chambers of commerce, tourism agencies. MBJ: What are your responsibilities as project manager?

Swanner: Building support; overseeing the promotional campaign; providing a service to our stakeholders. My main purpose is to brand this region as a recreational site, draw visitors and generate revenue. This is economic development. MBJ: What is your annual operating budget? Swanner: We have limited funds. We have acquired an appropriation for two years, which was spearheaded in the Legislature by Rep. John Knight. MBJ: How much? Swanner: It’s roughly $350,000. MBJ: What is the goal of the organization? Swanner: What we’re trying to accomplish here … throughout the Southeast you have super industrial sites and you have super retail sites. There are 11 million acres in the 23-county region that we represent. We are making a strong effort to brand it as a super recreational site. We have extended hunting seasons compared to most states and particularly the Northern states. Our bag limits are generous. If we can get that word out that we are here and open for business we feel like we can draw from the Northern states. Don’t forget that we have national icons like Ray Scott and Bassmaster that was headquartered here in Montgomery for years. A lot of hunters know Georgia is quail hunting; they know that Stuttgart, Ark., is the duck hunting capital; the Dakotas are known as pheasant hunting; and Texas is known for deer. We are trying to position ourselves and brand ourselves. We have a huge deer season. We have one of the largest populations of wild turkeys and we have great lakes for fishing. The state tourism department is in the throes of developing a series of birding trails throughout the state – connecting trail systems. We’ll be promoted heavily and very similar to the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail. Bird watching is huge.


MBJ: When did you come on board as the project manager? Swanner: I came on board on June 1 of 2010. MBJ: Are you a paid employee? Swanner: I am. I’m actually under contract. We just established this office – July 1 so now we have a physical address and a physical office, where we can service our stakeholders. MBJ: The office you’re referring to is 250 Commerce St. – the Hobbie Building. Swanner: Yes. We chose this downtown location because we would be visible; easily accessible; be right here in the midst of the activity and the convention attendees. We are hoping to convert the business traveler to a leisure traveler. MBJ: Are there plans to add staff? Swanner: We hope, eventually yes. We might look at engaging with some part-time staff (in 2011) when we need it. We have an aggressive marketing campaign that we are launching soon and we have already been engaged in a number of things. This is the first comprehensive marketing plan and strategy that was based on a lot of research

that we had access to from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and from the National Shooting Sports Foundation; from one-on-one and group study focus meetings that were conducted in the last year-and-a-half. MBJ: What is the comprehensive marketing plan? Have some pieces of the plan already been rolled out? Swanner: Yes, for instance in the November issue of Buckmasters Magazine we have a full-page ad. We have done a consumer trade show that was the Buckmasters Expo, which was held in Montgomery in August. We recently attended the Southeastern Outdoor Press Association convention, where we met one-on-one with outdoor journalists from major publications – it is mainly their freelancers. MBJ: You were letting them know what’s available in the Black Belt. Swanner: Yes, letting them know what we have. MBJ: Did you offer them hunting/fishing visits to the Black Belt?

Swanner: We are working with about 10 of them to give them what we call familiarization trips or media trips to our region, where they will come and explore activities that we are offering. We will also be introducing what we call the collateral amenities, which are the cultural heritage assets of our region. We really want it to be not only a recreational site, but we also want families to embrace the idea of coming here. MBJ: What are some other elements of your marketing plans for this year and how much money is the campaign costing? Swanner: We are still working out some of the details. We’re talking about advertising in trade publications, building a database, putting an emphasis on our website (alabamablackbeltadventures.com), search engine optimization, social media implementation. We targeted three to four of the top 10 sportsmen-related publications including Garden & Gun Magazine and they did a four-page article. This magazine is the cream of the crop. The demographic of our market is – those who are coming here now – a white male between the ages of 45 and 54. They come from suburban and urban areas Continued on page 20

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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Continued From page 19

of the country. We are also trying to target a more affluent market that has more expendable income to leave behind when they visit. MBJ: You are trying to fill up the lodges and camps in the Black Belt. Swanner: We’re trying to generate revenue. MBJ: Please elaborate about the big picture of trying to generate revenue in the Black Belt to grow the economy. Aren’t you trying to make outdoor activities the primary economic engine? Swanner: That’s right. It creates jobs; it gives the young people a reason not to leave home even if they go away to college we want them to come back home to be entrepreneurs here. It increases the revenue. MBJ: On the organization’s website, there is detailed information about 52 lodges/ camps. When the campaign was launched in the summer of 2009, there were about a dozen lodges associated with Alabama Black Belt Adventures, which speaks volumes to the growth of the initiative. Swanner: We are continuing to grow. We probably add one every two weeks. I’ve been on board since June 1 and there has been a lot that has taken place. We have established an office, we produced our 8-foot, three-panel exhibit – we’ve done various things. What my focus is going to be in the next months is getting out into the region, introducing myself and working with the lodge owners to find out what their needs are. One of the components of our marketing plan is offering co-op advertising opportunities for these lodge owners. We have already participated in one. We end up negotiating a reduced rate for the ad and we’re offering to invest 50 percent of that cost and we offer the remaining cost to the lodges.

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MBJ: The lodge owner is getting twice as much ad for their investment. Swanner: We’re expanding our dollars and we’re expanding their advertising dollars. MBJ: I know that the campaign was launched during a difficult economic time, but what are you seeing after nearly 16 to 18 months? Swanner: In that period of time a great deal of awareness has been generated about this initiative. We have newspaper articles from all over the state and the Garden & Gun Magazine article. Anytime you have an article like the Garden & Gun Magazine one it’s a third-party endorsement and people tend to place trust in something like that. It has generated more visitors to our website. People are learning about us – people are hearing about us. When we sponsored the Enewsletter of Garden & Gun – we had been averaging around 75 to 100 unique visitors per day – it spiked to 1,300-plus. That’s the kind of attention we want. MBJ: Has more money been spent in the Black Belt? Swanner: It’s too early to tell. MBJ: The information about the camps/lodges on the website is so detailed. It’s a one-stop source and also has all the information about recreational activities. Swanner: Exactly. MBJ: What impact has the campaign had so far on the camps and lodges? Swanner: We invited lodge owners to come in and have a brainstorming session – what were their needs; what do they see happening to their business; getting some feedback from them where they are placing their advertising dollars. We had some serious discussions. One of our goals that we feel will best benefit the region is to provide a forum


for being the go-to resource. We need to keep them (lodge owners) abreast of grants that may be available. We had several of the lodges inquire about how can I get involved with providing guided bird-watching trips. Birding is huge. They are looking for more product development – products they can incorporate into their business to help increase their income. MBJ: I read where there is a television ad that is airing on 46 stations in 30 states. Swanner: That has begun. When this initiative was sold – from the governor on down; Republicans and Democrats; city and county leaders; state tourism – there has been no one that said, ‘This is not a good idea.’ Everybody has said, ‘This is the best idea we’ve heard in a long time.’ It’s a product that appeals all genders, all races and it has the greatest potential to generate some revenue. MBJ: How did the commercial come about? Swanner: We paid 51 percent and the state tourism (agency) paid 49 percent for the production of the commercial. Ray Scott, who is the founder of Bassmasters, and Jackie Bushman, the founder of Buckmasters, both Alabama Black Belt fellows, donated their time and natural brand if you will to produce this commercial for us. They are our spokespersons. MBJ: What kind of reaction are you hearing about the TV commercial promoting Alabama Black Belt Adventures? Swanner: Dr. David Bronner and RSA (Retirement Systems of Alabama) have come on board with the project with Raycom (a holding of RSA). They have donated time on all 46 stations, which are primarily focused in the Southeast. We do have a set schedule – it’s when the stations can run the ads. The ad campaign was kicked off the last week of September or the first

week of October. I have seen it once here in Montgomery on the NBC affiliate (WSFA). I did have a call from two folks who saw it in Birmingham. MBJ: What are the long-term goals of the organization? Are you looking for a certain percentage increase in the number of visitors or revenue and is there a five-year time limit in which you expect to see those results? Swanner: I think there is no reason it’s not going to work. People are going to travel regardless of the economy. They may not travel as far away from home as they once did and they may not go to as elaborate destinations as they might have in the past. I think people are now focusing on more affordable destinations and we definitely are an affordable destination. That will be one of our taglines. Within a 350-mile radius of our Black Belt region, there are over 11 million people. MBJ: Are there certain areas where you focus on? Swanner: Louisiana, Florida, the Carolinas, Pennsylvania, Ohio and New York are going to be our target states because of very short hunting season and mass population base that are hunters. One of the new things (we learned) is that female turkey hunters are the fastest-growing segment and there are almost 400,000 turkey hunters in the state of Pennsylvania. Some of the ways we are reaching them is working with the editorial boards of nationwide publications like Game & Fish, Field & Stream, Buckmasters and Garden & Gun and combining that with paid advertising and e-mail blasts that goes out to their (Garden & Gun) huge database. We’re trying to build our database as well and driving folks to our website, which is where you can find the products we’re promoting. •

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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Guest Commentary

Prepare for the future – thoughtfully by Edward V. Welch Jr.

As 2011 begins, we thought it might be helpful to share some of the things we have learned over the last few difficult economic years. These were good lessons for us; perhaps they benefit others as well. Investing can be harder than it looks… Welch Hornsby and Welch was founded in January 1988 as a Registered Investment Advisor. By 1990 or so, we actually had a few clients to whom we could dispense investment advice and cheerfully commenced doing so. Considering the Dow Jones began that decade at around 2,800 and ended at well over 11,000, the dispensing of investment advice was not terribly challenging. A rising tide lifted all boats. The fact of the matter is our most significant challenges included convincing clients why they should still own bonds in their portfolio or why they might want to have less technology stock exposure in favor of more “old economy” stock exposure. Thankfully, we had level headed clients, so even that was not a difficult challenge. However, things changed over the next 10 years, dramatically so actually. The Dow Jones started the year 2000 at around 11,300 and closed out the first decade of the new millennium at around 10,400. On paper it looks like a quiet decade during which the market just drifted lower, right? In actuality, during that 10-year period the Dow dropped to under 8,000, subsequently rose to over 14,000, and then as we all remember by March of 2009, dropped precipitously to nearly 6,500 before it rose again to more than 10,400 by the end of 2009. From the fall of 2008 to the spring of 2009, one of our biggest challenges was convincing clients why they should own stocks at all. Once again, level heads prevailed, and portfolios have mostly recovered. An additional statistic worth considering is that between 1965 and 1982 the Dow started at 870 and finished at 875. The notion that stocks always go up over long periods of time may indeed be true. The question is will we live long enough to find out? We have learned that portfolio management is complicated and should not be approached cavalierly or without periodic re-examination of one’s investment thesis and

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the external factors impacting it, because past successful strategies are just that, in the past.

profit institutions; individuals or families, here are a few thoughts we are offering to them:

Defense is important…

> Be sure to have enough cash reserve to sustain a two-to three-year time period without having to liquidate any investments. Should the portfolio be responsible for making regular distributions for living expenses or charitable contributions, this allows it to remain intact during a difficult market period and avoid forced sale of risk assets at an inopportune time. Even if the portfolio is not required to make distributions, a little “dry powder” can come in handy should extreme market opportunities present themselves.

We have learned, or perhaps better stated, we have been reminded that an important component of long-term investment success can be the willingness to sacrifice upside in a strong market to at least partially mitigate downside volatility. We recently witnessed a stock market decline of nearly 50 percent. To recover from that kind of decline can take years considering that a portfolio must increase by 100 percent to break even. By comparison, a portfolio suffering a 15% decline takes a return of only 17.7% to recover. Any portfolio with exposure to risk assets will likely eventually suffer a setback. However, minimizing drawdowns and reducing recovery time are certainly more efficacious means of leveraging the long-term compounding effect on a portfolio. Diversify, diversify, and diversify… We all know diversification is important. It is just sometimes difficult to practice. We allow portfolios to grow to be disproportionately allocated. Perhaps it is attributed to a stock which has been in the family for years, and we believe we know the company well. Or perhaps it is a mutual fund we are unwilling to face the tax consequences of liquidating. It could be a single investment strategy with which we have enjoyed great success. Regardless, while not necessarily pleasurable to consider, we seem to be living in a world in which there is a much wider range of unsettling events that could occur, things beyond our wildest dreams, be they macroeconomic events, company specific events, geopolitical events, or something else we have yet to imagine. The environment for the foreseeable future seems to be too uncertain to become enamored with one or two investment strategies or concentrated stock positions. After all, we don’t know what we don’t know. So as 2011 is upon us, more than 20 years after our founding, we are privileged to advise clients in 11 states with assets totaling more than $2.8 billion. Be they for-profit or not-for-

Edward V. Welch, Jr.

> Carefully examine the portfolio’s time horizon which impacts its ability to recover from a decline, and play defense accordingly. A longer time horizon and/or net contributions to the portfolio dictate one strategy; a shorter time horizon and/or net distribution requirements dictate another. The size of the overall portfolio is an additionally important factor. > Engage multiple strategies that include traditional stock/bond allocations, global exposure, flexible mandates, inflation hedges, and perhaps even market hedges. Flexibility and global multi strategies combined with traditional mandates can make for more complete portfolio construction. In the end, none of us have the ability to predict the future, but we can all make an effort to thoughtfully prepare for it. Edward V. Welch Jr. is President and CEO of Welch Hornsby & Welch.


Guest Commentary

Simple rules for lifetime investing by Lanny Crane

Jackson Thornton Asset Management’s investment advice for 2011 happens to be our investment advice for a lifetime. Let’s begin by stating that smart investing is not complicated but it is also not easy. Financial economists demystified investing decades ago when their research showed that investing is more science and less of an art form. In fact, three academics incorporated Efficient Market Hypothesis into the development of Modern Portfolio Theory and were awarded the 1990 Nobel Prize in Economics. The details of the Efficient Market Hypothesis and the principles of Modern Portfolio Theory are for another article for another time. However, they do provide the foundation for Jackson Thornton’s approach to portfolio construction and management and are the basis for the statement “smart investing is not complicated.” So why isn’t it easy? It takes patience and discipline which are simple principles – they’re just difficult to follow. The short answer is because we are human beings and are influenced by the urge to act on our emotions. Fear, manipulation by the financial media, excessive confidence, herd instincts, etc., all tempt us to make unsound investment decisions.

Lanny Crane

Let’s look at an investment strategy and advice designed around these points. > Have an investment plan. Your plan should incorporate the points discussed in this article. Commit the plan to writing so that you can refer to it over the years and stay on course to achieving your financial goals. An investment plan developed in rational times will help you get through difficult market times.

> Think about - ponder - your need, ability and willingness to take investment risk. Don’t take excessive risks that place you outside of your risk boundaries - and we all have different risk boundaries. > Adopt an asset allocation among stocks, bonds, cash, etc. appropriate for your financial goals and your risk boundaries. Stocks are for growth and preservation of buying power while bonds and cash are for stability and preservation of principal. Each has a place based on your age, goals and situation. Take risks only when there is expected compensation for taking them. > Diversify your investments broadly and globally. Even though most investors recognize the importance of diversification they find that they just don’t know how to do it. Diversification can increase the expected return of the portfolio and lessen its volatility at the same time. Jackson Thornton’s approach to diversification of the equity portion of portfolios results in ownership in more than 12,000 different companies worldwide through the use of low cost, asset class-specific institutional mutual funds. > Keep investment costs low. You can’t control the market’s ups and downs but investment costs are one thing that you can control. Costs come in different forms: some are disclosed and apparent and others are not disclosed. They include money manager fees, broker commissions, bid-ask spreads, markups, mutual fund operating expense ratios, investment advisor fees, etc. Remember that the investor’s return is gross investment return less investment costs and income taxes. > Plan for tax efficiency. Understand your portfolio’s tax implications. Being part of an accounting firm with an extensive tax practice, we too often see the results of failure to design and manage a portfolio for tax efficiency. > Manage the spending rate from your portfolio. I’ll put it another way: spend less - save more. Obtain a probability analysis to understand your situation and then instill a spending discipline.

> Ignore the hype of the financial media. It leads to euphoria in times of economic expansion and bull markets and despair in times of recessions and bear markets. Remember, the media is rarely in the business of giving sound investment advice. > Don’t get scared out of owning stocks. Investors have to accept and live with market volatility; it’s that risk that causes the expected higher return (the risk premium) from stock ownership. Your financial assets and sources of retirement income must account for the likelihood of continued erosion of the buying power of your money. Remember, a first class postage stamp which cost 15¢ in 1980 costs 44¢ in 2010. That 30year period is the approximate life expectancy for a healthy mid-60 year old couple considering retirement. Your focus must be on preserving buying power rather than just preserving principal. Equity investments are still the tool for preserving buying power. > Don’t change your investment plan. If you have a well thought out investment plan - stick with it. Resist the temptations to time markets, make tactical allocations (another form of market timing) or attempt to pick individual stocks thought to outperform the markets. Don’t change your investment plan unless your situation has changed. If you don’t have such a plan - get one! > Be patient and stay disciplined to your plan. Even well-designed and managed portfolios will have disappointing years. Remember, that every period of economic expansion comes to an end and every economic recession comes to an end just as bull and bear markets do. We can’t time them and they come when you least expect them. Patience and discipline will keep you on track. > Don’t fret about and obsess over your investments. Follow these simple rules for lifetime investing. Get an investment coach if you doubt your ability to do it alone. Enjoy life, family and friends. Lanny Crane is a certified public accountant and a principal with Jackson Thornton Asset Management, LLC.

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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Start spreading the success stories Existing industries are the backbone of area’s economy by David Zaslawsky

The most glamorous aspect of economic development is the rare announcement of a new industry coming to town. Officials roll out the red carpet and shout about the hundreds or even thousands of new jobs as well as hundreds of millions of dollars of capital investment. Then there is the less sexy side of economic development and what actually is the most critical aspect – existing industries. “As we continue to make our way out of an economic downturn the likes of which we haven’t seen in our lifetime, the best barometer of a community’s economic health and well-being, vitality and overall business economy is going to be business expansion,” said Steve Sewell, executive vice president of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. “We know for the next few years … what’s really important to our growth and our well-being are the expansions of businesses and industries. We need to recognize the contribution; we need to highlight the importance of spending time in our existing industries knowing their needs, encouraging expansion and being there to contribute to their success.” Sewell was one of the final speakers, highlighting visits to five companies as part of a “Success Begins Here” bus tour. Those five companies announced combined capital expenditures of nearly $150 million, the creation of 370-plus jobs as well as protecting and preserving more than 4,000 existing jobs. Those companies – Dow Corning; Hausted Patient Handling Systems, LLC; Genpak, LLC; MOBIS Alabama, LLC; and Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA), LLC – which range from automotive to health care to chemicals and containers – collectively show the diversity of the economy and the widespread growth and also run the gamut from small to mid-sized to large. Throughout the bus tour, which stretched from East Montgomery to West Montgomery, South Montgomery and Central Montgomery,

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city, county and Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce officials spoke about the importance of existing industries. Perhaps, the one comment that summed up the day’s significance was Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange saying that existing industries accounts for 80 percent to 85 percent of all job creation. Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton N. Dean Instead of making Sr., and Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange at Hyundai five separate Motor Manufacturing Alabama during the “Success Starts announcements over Here” existing industry expansion bus tour. a period of days or even weeks, the bus tour demonstrated the to produce these new products,” said plant magnitude of the total job creation and manager Mark McKaig. capital investment. He said the company expected to receive the “These expansions are happening because: first of the new equipment in January and No. 1, people think the economy is on hopes to start production in March. Additional the uptick and No. 2, they are bullish on phases are expected to be completed in the Montgomery, Ala.,” Strange said. “They are third quarter and more equipment will be making investments in capital and human installed in early 2012, according to McKaig. capital in our community.” McKaig said new business sales could The largest of the announcement for both increase 15 percent to 20 percent by new jobs and capital investment was MOBIS, manufacturing and distributing new a Tier-I supplier to both HMMA and the Kia biodegradable products in the U.S. manufacturing facility in West Point, Ga. Hyundai is investing $50.5 million at MOBIS is adding 250 jobs and investing its manufacturing facility to develop the almost $60 million to supply bumpers to capability to produce the 1.8-liter engine for the Kia plant as part of a 166,000-squarethe 2011 Elantra. The vehicle, along with the foot expansion to its plastics plant. MOBIS Sonata will be manufactured in Montgomery, Alabama President C.S. Kim said his was one of the darlings at the Los Angeles company was also expanding its instrument Auto Show. panel shop. The capital expenditure will be used for This is the company’s fourth expansion, but “retooling some of the existing computernot the last. Tracy Riedler, human resources controlled machines,” said Robert Burns, senior manager for MOBIS Alabama, said the manager of public relations for HMMA. company will be announcing production of The engine for the 2011 Elantra is currently new products. produced in Korea.

Genpak, which manufactures a wide variety of food-service containers, will produce biodegradable products, “using our own recycled materials as one of the raw materials

Chamber Chairman Nimrod T. Frazer Jr. noted the importance of Hyundai, which has 2,700 employees.


“Hyundai has been a game-changer for us,” Frazer said. “Just think where we will be five to 10 years from now and think of how far we have come.”

DOW CORNING

GENPAK, LLC

• New Jobs: 30-plus

• New Jobs: 40

• Capital Investment: $32.4 million

• Capital Investment: $3.1 million

Dow Corning, the worldwide leader in silicon-based technology, is investing more than $30 million and creating 30-plus jobs “to overhaul the entire substation to increase capabilities, which allows for more automation,” said Tommy Vessels, site manager for Dow Corning. He said the company was also expanding its raw material base to ensure a more reliable supply.

• Existing Jobs: 150

• Existing Jobs: 300

• Dow Corning Alabama, (formerly Simcala), produces high-grade silicon metal used in chemical and aluminum products. The aluminum industry uses silicon metal to make alloys for automotive components such as engine housings, pistons, and cast aluminum wheels. Chemical companies use silicon to produce silicone for lubricants, gaskets, and cosmetics. They also produce polysilicon, an element used in making silicon wafers for semiconductors. The company’s smelting process produces microsilica, which is used as a strengthener and filler by the concrete, refractory, mineral, and oil exploration industries.

• Genpak is a leader in quality manufacturing of single-use foodservice containers and packaging including foam-hinged containers, serving trays, specialty bowls, dinnerware, bakery and oven-ready, supermarket trays, drinking cups, portion cups, bags and laminated films, microwave-safe containers and clear deli and supermarket containers. Their latest product, Harvest Fiber Collection, is a biodegradable brand produced using annually-renewable resources.

Vessels said the company’s announcement “is a significant investment in this facility to make sure that we are a success and a significant investment in this community.” The bus tour visit at Hausted Patient Handling Systems was for a ribbon cutting, but Strange said the company “could have easily gone to Pittsburgh,” where the investment partners are located. He pointed out that Hausted is a corporate headquarters and sales and other meetings will be held in Montgomery – meaning visitors to the Montgomery Regional airport and Montgomery hotels, restaurants and shops. “We just couldn’t let Jerry take his business elsewhere,” Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton N. Dean Sr. said, referring to Hausted President and CEO Jerry Silvertooth. “A $3 million investment might sound like it’s small, but it’s not for this particular area. We look at this being huge and the 49 jobs as being huge.” Dean recalled a comment he made to Silvertooth: “One thing about Montgomery, Ala., we will bring you here and we will invest in you if you’ll invest is us. We would never leave you alone. We will be partners for the duration.” Sewell complimented the region for its commitment to existing industry. “This community does a great job of supporting existing industry, encouraging expansion and as we have seen today from small to mid-sized to large businesses – being there, maintaining relationships and being there to support companies with whatever needs they may have. That is really the strength of the community in its economic vitality.” •

HAUSTED PATIENT HANDLING SYSTEMS, LLC • New Jobs: 49 • Capital Investment: $3.1 million • Hausted Patient Handling Systems manufactures hydraulic and electricpowered stretchers and chairs; specialty products and services utilized by hospitals, medical facilities, ambulatory surgery centers, radiology and alternate care facilities.

HYUNDAI MOTOR MANUFACTURING ALABAMA, LLC • Capital Investment: $50.5 million • Existing Jobs: 2,700 • Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama is an independent manufacturing operation of Hyundai Motor Co., based in Seoul, Korea. HMMA produces the Sonata sedan and Elantra. Hyundai vehicles are distributed throughout the United States by Hyundai Motor America and are sold and serviced by more than 900 Hyundai dealerships across North America.

MOBIS ALABAMA, LLC • New Jobs: 250 • Capital Investment: $59.7 million • Existing Jobs: 800 • MOBIS Alabama is a Tier-I Hyundai supplier and Kia supplier, producing cockpit modules, front and rear chassis, bumpers, interior door trim, and exterior door garnishing.

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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November 14 at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Membership celebrated a successful 2010. Gary Farmer, known as the “Business Mayor of Austin, Texas,� enlightened a sold out crowd at the Luncheon meeting. The Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce has been the driving force for building a strong economy and vibrant business community since 1873. 1 2010 Chairman of the Board of Directors Nimrod T. Frazer Jr., passes the gavel to the 2011 Chairman of the Board Larry D. Puckett. 2 Frazer presents the Point of Light Award to Lisa Perkins Jackson of Titanium Music Productions Group, Inc. The Point of Light Award, sponsored by the Law Office of Tiffany McCord, recognizes a minority or female-owned company that demonstrates success in business and/or working as an advocate for minority business development. 3 Gary Farmer, who is credited with rallying the troops in helping the capital city of Texas revitalize its economy, was the keynote speaker. 4 More than 800 community and business leaders filled the Montgomery Convention Center for the sold-out event. 5 Frazer congratulates Debbie Norrie of Faulkner University, the 2010 Chamber Ambassador of the Year. The Gold sponsors for the 2010 Annual Meeting were Alabama Power Company, Merchant Capital, Sterne Agee, and The Colonial Company.

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Montgomery Business Journal January 2011

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January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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‘one

economy’ economy ‘one one economy’ economy ‘one ‘one

New Chamber chairman promotes regional economic development by David Zaslawsky

one‘one ‘one ‘one‘one ‘one ‘one

economy’ economy 28

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011


Regional economic development became so much more than either talking points or a work-in-progress in 2010.

y’ y’

When Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange turned to Greenville Mayor Dexter McLendon, Prattville Mayor Jim Byard Jr. and Elmore County Commissioner Joe Faulk and asked those leaders to help fund an incentive package to attract Hyundai Heavy Industries (HHI) to Montgomery he heard a resounding yes. Now at every economic summit, at all job announcements and at all Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors’ meetings, Strange and Montgomery County Commissioner Elton N. Dean Sr. talk about collaborating on economic development. Regional economic development received another huge boost as prominent Prattville businessman and resident Larry Puckett took over as chairman of the board of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. It marks the first time in the Chamber’s history that its chairman was a Prattville businessman and resident. “We’ve been saying we’re a regional Chamber and we’re a regional economy and I believe we are,” said Puckett, the president of Larry Puckett Chevrolet. “The Chamber advertises itself as being regional. I think this is putting money where your mouth is. I think it says that we are one economy.” Puckett said that he hopes he is an effective emissary for the region and that region includes Autauga, Elmore, Butler and Lowndes counties. When he talks about the region, he is talking about Montgomery, Prattville, Millbrook, Wetumpka and Greenville as well as other cities and towns. “I think the HHI deal with all these communities coming together is just the foundation and I hope it will continue because it certainly helps us all,” Puckett said. The entire region will benefit as HHI builds power transformers at its first North American manufacturing facility in Montgomery, hires 1,000 people and invests $90 million in its Hyundai Electrical Systems Alabama Inc. plant in Interstate Industrial Park.

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“I’m a firm believer that if the economy is good in Prattville and it’s good in Millbrook and it’s good in Wetumpka, it’s going to help Montgomery,” Puckett said. “If the economy is good in Montgomery, it’s going

to help Prattville, Millbrook, Wetumpka and Greenville.” Puckett has sold cars in Prattville for years and his customers come from all over the region. He said his customers do not care where the boundaries of one town end and start for another. He said everybody who visits the River Region don’t know and don’t care where the boundaries are. “I think sometimes elected officials and businesspeople get caught up in boundaries,” he said. “It used to be a lot more territorial than it is today. I think the politicians of today – especially Mayor Byard and Mayor Strange – have a long history of working together. They both do a great job and I think they both have a similar vision for the region and I consider them both friends of mine.” He said that being a well-know Prattville businessman and being chairman of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce is “a non-event” although he acknowledges it may be more than a non-event to some elected officials and it does send the message “we’re open for regional business.” He said, “I don’t know if they are going to have a street party in Prattville the day I take over the Chamber and hopefully they won’t riot in the streets in Montgomery.” Although Puckett will be a cheerleader for regional economic development he knows that River Region cities will compete against one another, but they won’t be at each other’s throats, which could drive away a prospect. “At the end of the day, what it says to an industry is I’m going to be OK – it’s not going to be a war between these communities if I go either place,” Puckett said, using Prattville and Montgomery as an example. “A client or industry doesn’t want to select one city and have the other be hostile because they need the customers from both. Any time that you can put up a united front for your area is a positive thing.” Puckett, who has been on the Chamber’s Executive Committee for four years, has taken the helm during a transitional period. This

year marks the fifth and final year of the first phase of the Chamber’s Imagine A Greater Montgomery campaign, but simultaneously it also marks the beginning of the second phase, which will be formulated this year. For Puckett, it’s a year to look behind and look ahead and he will use the eyes of Kenneth Coleman, who is chairman of the steering committee for phase II of the Imagine A Greater Montgomery campaign and is a Chamber vice president. Coleman’s day job is vice president of the Southern Division of Alabama Power Co. One of Puckett’s goals is strengthening the ties with existing industry. “I want to be sure that we don’t forget our existing industry – their wants and needs,” he said. He suggested visits to existing industries and talking to officials. “We need to ask them what their expectations of the Chamber are and try to meet those to the extent that we can.” Another priority for Puckett is the military – Maxwell Air Force Base and the Gunter Annex. “Hopefully, we can grow some missions and jobs,” Puckett said. “There are a lot of opportunities out there.” Puckett has been intimately involved with the military, being a member of a military affairs committee with the immediate past Chamber Chairman Nimrod T. Frazer Jr. Frazer was one of a handful of former Chamber chairmen that Puckett turned to for advice. He said that all the former chairmen told him the importance of managing your time. “I don’t like anybody to say that I don’t have time to do something,” Puckett said, “because basically we all get the same amount – we get 24 hours every day. It’s just how we choose to use it. When somebody tells you that they don’t have time – they chose not to take the time – they had time. Continued on page 30

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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and that’s a strength. As we go forward, I think that is one of the things that we can draw on. One of our strengths for industry (recruitment) is how people perceive us and our friendly attitude. We all have strengths and weaknesses and our job is to manage both. You have to minimize your weaknesses and maximize your strengths. I think the community and area does that.”

Continued From page 29

“If you manage your time, let the Chamber staff do their job and not make any major snafus, you’ll be in pretty good shape,” Puckett said. “This is not a rocket scientist’s job because of the staff.” After four years of watching and learning about the inner workings of the Chamber, Puckett knows what goes on behind the scenes. He would like the community to have a better understanding of the Chamber.

He said there is a perception problem and the perception of the region and the reality are vastly different. “If we can get people here, I like our chances of making a favorable impression.”

“My ultimate goal – I would like to have a higher awareness of the Chamber and I would like to think if we do all the things we are supposed to do – 12 months from now we will have a better place to live and work for all of us,” Puckett said. He cited events such as the recent “Success Begins Here” bus tour of existing industries, the Total Resource Campaign, Diversity Summit, job announcements and Business After Hours – all increase awareness of the Chamber. “Anything that we can do to bring more awareness to the Chamber is great,” Puckett said.

Larry Puckett, who is the 2011 Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce, is president of Larry Puckett Chevrolet in Prattville.

During his stint on the Executive Committee, Puckett said he “learned that Montgomery is a big, small town.” That is a compliment. “The people rally around their city and county leaders. I think everybody wants to make where we live and work a better place

Chamber Delegation Goes to Austin Chamber staff and a delegation of Montgomery Area business and civic leaders visited Austin, Texas in December to meet with leaders in the booming Texas community. Improving education is a key goal for both regions. The delegation visited a new state-of-the-art high school in Austin.

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Montgomery Business Journal January 2011

When you ask Puckett why he has been so active in the Chamber, he said “you owe it to your community to give something back. If you live and work in a place you have to pay your civic rent. If you want to be part of a community, you need to get involved and try to change it for the better. If it doesn’t need change, try to make it a better place to live, work and raise your family.” • For a list of Past Chamber Chairmen, see page 31.


2011 BUSINESS PLAN


A MESSAGE FROM THE CHAIRMAN It is an honor and privilege to serve as the 2011 Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce. Because my family and my business call Prattville home, some folks have told me that my chairmanship is the real face of “Montgomery and the River Region.” But the truth is, city limits and county lines are meaningless when it comes to building a business or developing a customer base. And even more importantly, future economic development growth depends on the entire River Region – the Greater Montgomery Area – working together in partnership. One of the many lessons learned from the Chamber’s recent Inter-City Leadership Visit to Austin was the amazing depth of regional partnerships, all rallied around a common vision, and centered on a thriving city center. The Austin study visit was the perfect springboard to inspire us as we enter the fifth and final implementation year of the Imagine a Greater Montgomery strategy, and begin development of the next five-year plan. It will be a year of evaluating how far we have come in reaching our goals, and taking stock of the strides we have made – like seven new Career Academies; leading the state in announced jobs and industrial expansions; the wildly successful Emerge Montgomery young professionals program; the creation of the Diversity Summit; the strengthening of mission at Maxwell-Gunter; a vastly transformed image through downtown and riverfront development; revitalization of all sectors of Montgomery; and growing economic returns from convention and tourism recruitment. The next Imagine a Greater Montgomery II will build on those successes, and forge a new economic strategy that, like Austin, will take us to the next level. One of my personal goals for 2011 is to increase the awareness of what the Chamber does, and why joining the Chamber is the best business decision you can make for building your business, for your future economic growth and the future of the entire River Region. Ultimately, we have to make this a place where our young people want to stay, to live, to work, and raise a family. Thank you for your support of the Chamber. Hold on to your hat – this year is going to be an exhilarating journey as we Imagine an Even-Greater, Greater Montgomery!

Sincerely,

Larry D. Puckett 2011 Chairman of the Board of Directors

2011 BUSINESS PLAN


2011 Executive Committee: (Seated, L-R) Chairman Elect Kenneth E. Coleman, Vice President, Southern Division, Alabama Power Company; Chairman Larry D. Puckett, President, Larry Puckett Chevrolet; (Standing, L-R) Vice Chairman Horace H. Horn, Vice President External Affairs, PowerSouth Energy Cooperative; Vice Chairman C. Lee Ellis, Executive Vice President Operations, Alfa Insurance Company; Immediate Past Chairman Nimrod T. Frazer, Jr.,

MONTGOMERY AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE 2011 BUSINESS PLAN Year Five Implementation of the Imagine a Greater Montgomery Strategy

LEADING THE WAY Imagine a Greater Montgomery Sustaining Founders Council The Imagine a Greater Montgomery strategy is a bold vision made possible by a dedicated group of leaders who see the possibilities for a better, more prosperous life for all in Montgomery and the River Region. These public and private sector investors provide the leadership, commitment and influence required to shape meaningful and measurable economic progress.

LEGACY The City of Montgomery, Mayor Todd Strange

SUSTAINING Regions Bank

The Advertiser Company

Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama

Aronov Realty Management, Inc.

Alabama Gas Corporation

Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, Inc.

The Colonial Company

AT&T Alabama

Jackson Hospital & Clinic, Inc.

Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC

Jim Wilson & Associates, LLC

Baptist Health

Rheem Water Heaters

SABIC Innovative Plastics

BBVA Compass Bank

Larry Puckett Chevrolet

Alfa Insurance Companies

Summit America, LLC

Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, PC

Wells Fargo Bank

The Montgomery County Commission, Chairman Elton Dean

Alabama Power Company The Industrial Development Board of the City of Montgomery

2011 BUSINESS PLAN


2011 BOARD OF DIRECTORS Kindell C. Anderson EMERGE Montgomery

Randall L. George Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce

Samuel P. Martin The Advertiser Company, Inc.

Anita L. Archie Business Council of Alabama

Robert E.L. Gilpin Kaufman Gilpin McKenzie Thomas Weiss, PC

H. Greg McClellan MAX Credit Union

Jake F. Aronov Aronov Realty Management, Inc.

Stephen S. Goldsby Integrated Computer Solutions

Purser L. McLeod, Jr. Montgomery Committee of 100

Owen W. Aronov Aronov Realty Management, Inc.

F. Berry Grant All Seasons Travel

Samuel Munnerlyn Trenholm State Technical College

Robin S. Barca Baptist Health

Joe Hampton Alabama Gas Corporation

Jerry A. Newby Alfa Insurance Companies

Carl A. Barranco Wilson, Price, Barranco, Blankenship & Billingsley, PC

Richard E. Hanan Montgomery Water Works & Sewer Board

Brig. Gen. Craig S. Olson Enterprise Information Systems

Carl J. Bartlett, Jr. Jim Wilson & Associates, LLC

Paul M. Hankins Alabama Association of Independent Colleges & Universities

Charles B. Paterson Balch & Bingham LLP

Jere L. Beasley, Sr. Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, PC James E. Buckalew Alabama Real Estate Holdings/PCH John A. Caddell Caddell Construction Company, Inc. Gregory B. Calhoun Calhoun Food Supermarket Lynn M. Carter Southeast Cherokee Construction, Inc. Larry F. Chapman Blue Cross Blue Shield of Alabama Kenneth E. Coleman Alabama Power Company Eugene C. Crane Whitney National Bank A. Bruce Crawford BBVA Compass Bank Cassandra Crosby-McCullough Crosby Drinkard Group R. Guy Davis, Jr. BB&T Terry G. Davis Davis & Hatcher, LLC Eleanor L. Dawkins Ross Clayton Funeral Home, Inc. Elton N. Dean, Sr. Montgomery County Commission Martha T. Demere Entec Stations, Inc. Arthur J. DuCote Regions Bank C. Lee Ellis Alfa Insurance Companies Tammy Knight Fleming Knight Fleming & Associates J. Tyler Fondren AT&T Alabama Nimrod T. Frazer, Jr. Industrial Partners, LLC

2011 BUSINESS PLAN

William H. Harris, Ph.D. Alabama State University Thomas Ashley Harris Merchant Capital Investments Gary Harrison Dixie Electric Cooperative Jack Hawkins, Jr., Ph.D. Troy University Donald G. Henderson Jackson Hospital & Clinic, Inc. Chappell H.L. Hill Sterne Agee Horace H. Horn PowerSouth Energy Cooperative W. Daniel Hughes, Jr. Summit Housing Lance D. Hunter Hodges Warehouse + Logistics Kevin L. Ketzler Alfa Properties, Inc. Duk Kim Lear Corporation-Montgomery Soonhwa (SH) Kim MOBIS Alabama, LLC Pete R. Knight, Jr. Aliant Bank Jerry C. Kyser Jerry Kyser Builder, Inc. E. Kyle Kyser, Jr. Jerry Kyser Builder, Inc. Y.D. Lim Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC John W. Livings Wells Fargo Bank James K. Lowder The Colonial Company B. Saxon Main Ball, Ball, Matthews & Novak, PA Chester D. Mallory Mongomery Airport Authority

Lt. Gen. Allen G. Peck Maxwell-Gunter Air Force Base Air University Larry D. Puckett Larry Puckett Chevrolet David B. Reed Goodwyn, Mills & Cawood, Inc. Peter A. Reynolds Rheem Water Heaters James H. Sanford HOME Place Farms, Inc. Kyle C. Searcy Fresh Anointing House of Worship Kenneth D. Selvaggi WSFA TV Ned F. Sheffield Jackson Thornton Shannon G. Speir Speir Consulting Richard M. Stabler Wilson, Price, Barranco, Blankenship & Billingsley, PC Mayor Todd Strange City of Montgomery James M. Stubbs River Bank & Trust Elizabeth S. Sutton, CTC Alabama World Travel/Sutton & Associates Percy D. Thomas Thomas Construction & Masonry Company, Inc. Barbara W. Thompson Montgomery Public Schools David R. Thrasher, M.D. Montgomery Pulmonary Consultants, PA Thomas J. Tsekouras SABIC Innovative Plastics W. Russell Tyner Baptist Health Craig O. Vinson, Jr. Granville Home Furnishings Olan G.Waldrop, Jr. Apptis, Inc.


GOALS Year 5 implementation of the Imagine a Greater Montgomery Strategy I. Champion Public Education and Build a Competitive Workforce

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II. Strengthen the Regional Economy

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III. Transform Montgomery’s Image IV. Embrace Diversity and Enhance Leadership Capacity V. Strengthen the Chamber

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2011 BUSINESS PLAN


BUSINESS PLAN

GOAL I: CHAMPION PUBLIC EDUCATION AND BUILD A COMPETITIVE WORKFORCE Executive Committee Liaison: Lee Ellis, ALFA Insurance Companies

EDUCATION AND WORKFORCE DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL

CAREER ACADEMIES TASK FORCE

Chairman: Keith Karst, Alabama Power Company

Chairman: Arthur DuCote, Regions Bank

• Support the superintendent and Board of Education as they identify priorities for improvement within Montgomery Public Schools (MPS) and serve as a catalyst to bring collaboration and consolidation around these shared goals and objectives.

• Work with MPS superintendent, senior administration, principals and business leaders to continuously improve established Career Academies.

• Reinvigorate stakeholder investment to strengthen business, community and school partnerships. • Create advocates for Montgomery Public Schools through outreach efforts that accurately reflect the accomplishments of public education. • Work closely with MPS to mature the Career Academy Initiative as the number one high school reform strategy in our community. The Career Academies that are established are Information Technology, Health Science, Teaching, Business/Finance, Hospitality/Tourism, and Law/Public Safety. The Advanced Manufacturing Career Academy will launch in August 2011. • Lead the Teaching Career Academy through the Year of Planning necessary for accreditation through the National Academy Foundation. • Solidify the partnerships between area colleges and universities with Montgomery Public Schools to offer early college opportunities to high school students. • Serve as a strong advocate for “School Choice” that allows students from across the district to attend the Career Academy of their choice according to assessed interests and aptitudes. • Reduce the dropout rate in the middle schools by providing focused career awareness and career exploration experiences for students.

• Work with MPS to develop new Career Academies as market sectors demand. • Serve as a resource for curriculum development, resource acquisition, professional development, credentials/certifications, and marketing. • Continue to identify and recruit business and education leaders to serve on Career Academy Councils. • Work with MPS toward accreditation for Career Academies at the state and national levels. • Serve as a clearing house for best practices.

LEADERSHIP TRAINING TASK FORCE Chairman: Dr. Le-Quita Booth, Alabama State University College of Business Administration • Support MPS to continuously improve and sustain the Leadership Development Institute. • Access and coordinate resources available through military partnerships and senior-level educational institutions to provide exemplary leadership training for MPS personnel.

• Launch the MPS facilities database, a management tool for school facility improvement projects.

MIDDLE SCHOOL TASK FORCE

• Capitalize on the resources and instructors of Montgomery’s institutions of higher education and Maxwell-Gunter AFB to develop leadership programs for principals, central administration staff and students.

• Increase access to career exploration and career awareness activities.

• Serve as a catalyst to engage MPS and the business community in the development of rigorous Career Technical Education programs that prepare students to enter the 21st century workforce.

Chairman: Dr. Bruce Murphy, Headquarters, Air University, Maxwell AFB

• Plan and direct special projects leading to informed career choices by students.

SCHOOL FACILITIES TASK FORCE Chairman: Tony King, Alabama Power Company • Organize volunteer groups to improve the campuses of Montgomery Public Schools by conducting facility improvement projects. • Identify, categorize and monitor school projects via the SharePoint database. • Promote facility improvement successes through the media. • Increase Task Force membership to boost community support.

2011 BUSINESS PLAN


GOAL II: STRENGTHEN THE REGIONAL ECONOMY Executive Committee Liaison: Shannon Speir, Speir Consulting

THE COMMITTEE OF 100 Chairman: Purser L. McLeod, The Colonial Company

INFORMATION TECHNOLOGY (IT) FORUM Chairman: Tom Gwaltney, IT Business Solutions

• Serve as the region’s leading economic development advocacy group for the recruitment and expansion of industry and corporate locations to the Greater Montgomery area. The Committee of 100 is composed of prominent and influential business and community leaders who are selected for membership by invitation of the committee.

• Utilize the expertise of the local information technology community to prepare the future workforce for employment in the rapidly changing information technology environment.

• Host an Annual Economic Summit for Montgomery and the River Region.

• Expand marketing for Chamber-sponsored opportunities for the IT community to participate in briefings and discussions on the latest industry trends.

• Serve as a conduit for information sharing with the local IT community on major Chamber, IT, and community initiatives.

Corporate Development Initiatives • Coordinate prospect development, visitation and follow up.

BUSINESS RETENTION AND EXPANSION TASK FORCE

• Coordinate announcements of new business and industry locations and expansions.

Chairman: Ken Thomas, STERIS Corporation

• Implement a comprehensive marketing program focused on relationships with in-state resources, out-of-state consultants and industry media, in addition to the development of collateral and web-based marketing materials.

• Conduct a comprehensive structured visitation program to educate area businesses on the incentives and resources available, discover opportunities and challenges facing area companies, and promote strong relationships with Chamber investors. This program may include the participation of local and state elected officials and other appropriate volunteer leadership.

• Manage an extensive buildings-and-site database in addition to the maintenance of all research and demographic information necessary for prospect proposals; prepare e-publications detailing statistical trends and positive outlook of the Montgomery regional business climate.

• Promote the accomplishments of area businesses and inform area leadership regarding the needs of existing businesses.

• Promote Montgomery area industrial parks and available buildings to potential clients.

• Foster greater networking among the area manufacturing community.

TRANSPORTATION TASK FORCE Chairman: Robert Gould, Wilson, Price, Barranco, Blankenship & Billingsley

• Develop proactive strategies to support the Career Academies implementation process and provide direct support in the development of industrial maintenance and advanced manufacturing curricula for secondary and post-secondary schools.

• Support the efforts of the Montgomery Airport Authority to: o

Improve the quantity, quality and reliability of air service into and out of the Montgomery Regional Airport.

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Aggressively market and promote the airport to consumers within the target service area.

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Establish a commitment to exceptional customer service throughout all airport operations.

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Develop a feasibility analysis of air cargo operations.

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Conduct a feasibility study to investigate the demand for an intermodal facility.

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Expand and strengthen water and ground transportation networks for existing businesses.

HEALTH CARE INITIATIVE • Partner with Envision 2020 in the development and implementation of a comprehensive health care strategy for the River Region, focusing on issues related to physician recruitment.

• Work with area businesses on their expansion opportunities including introductions to state and local regulatory agencies and access to incentives.

• Continue the MATCH program and inform local manufacturing companies of statewide closures and layoffs.

• Assist area business with trade opportunities including education and analysis of our Foreign Trade Zone.

Small Business Advisory Council Chairman: Pete Knight, Aliant Bank • Bring together key stakeholders in small business development in order to foster collaboration and strengthen the region’s support for entrepreneurial growth. • Provide critical technical assistance through counseling to small businesses and would-be entrepreneurs. • Deliver in-depth entrepreneurial training via programs that include Entrepreneurial University, Business Training Series, webinars, workshops and seminars. • Develop an online financial tutorial for entrepreneurs. • Create a comprehensive web-based learning center for government contracting. • Update the small business needs assessment in anticipation of new five-year plan. • Develop a comprehensive list of regional, state, and national entrepreneurial financing sources.

2011 BUSINESS PLAN


BUSINESS PLAN

SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCE CENTER (SBRC) SBRC Board President: Riley Roby, Balch & Bingham • Oversee and refine the daily operations of the SBRC, including the business incubation program.

Military Affairs Support Council Chairman: Paul Hankins, Alabama Association of Independent Colleges & Universities

• Implement a marketing plan for the SBRC that highlights its space and client services.

• Facilitate discussions between key military and River Region leaders to address important issues that impact the mission and quality of life of our military in the River Region.

• Put in place a standalone, web-based virtual tour of the SBRC to be used as a marketing tool on the Chamber/SBRC website, on the SBRC foyer monitor, in face-to-face presentations and in other marketing initiatives.

• Leverage the Maxwell-Gunter-Montgomery (MGM) Partnership program to encourage lasting friendships between key community and military senior leaders.

• Solicit discounted goods and services for Incubation Program and SCORE clients. Develop a client identification card that will identify qualified clients to local merchants.

• Advocate for appropriate military construction projects necessary for the growth and sustainment of Montgomery’s military units.

• Maximize the counseling services of the Entrepreneur in Residence. • Further the federal acquisition fast-start initiative to expose local business owners to federal contracting opportunities. • Create a training series to expose incubated clients and the business community to traditional and nontraditional lending products.

Minority Business Development Advisory Task Force Chairman: Thomas McPherson, Employment Dispute Resolution Services • Continue to diversify the Minority Business Advisory Task Force to be more reflective of the River Region business community. • Solicit input from the minority business community on Chamber initiatives that would be of assistance to them. • Conduct networking events to promote increased majority-minority business relationships and partnerships.

• Prepare a Strategic Mission Plan to define specific mission strengths and weaknesses for all the military missions in the River Region and define the core strengths that can be potential areas for growth or consolidation. • Pursue specific mission consolidation initiatives outlined in the Strategic Mission Plan.

RAPID RESPONSE TASK FORCE Chairman: Olan Waldrop, Apptis • Proactively protect, support and expand critical missions of Maxwell-Gunter AFB, in addition to all Guard, Reserve and other DoD operations in the Montgomery region. • Incorporate economic development strategies to expand the footprint of Maxwell-Gunter to attract additional missions and/or workload. • Leverage relationships with Congressional and Senior Military leaders to shape the changing military environment and how it impacts the Montgomery community.

• Promote Chamber activities and events to minority and female business owners to expand their business networks and increase their business opportunities. • Expand marketing of the Point of Light Award to attract a more diverse group of nominees. • Increase minority memberships in the Chamber by 7%.

Service Corp of Resource Executives (SCORE), Alabama Capital City Chapter President: Rick Williams Mission: Provide resources and expertise to maximize the success of existing and emerging small businesses. SCORE mentors offer free, helpful business advice online and in person. • Maintain six active counselors in business banking. • Increase the number of Active SCORE Counselors by 50%. • Increase face-to-face counseling by 25%. • Increase overall counseling hours by 15.

2011 BUSINESS PLAN

River Region Forum Chairman: Lt. General Allen Peck, Commander, Air University, Maxwell AFB • Work in partnership with Air University to bring civic, business and elected leaders together for exposure to the activities and missions of Maxwell-Gunter AFB and other local DoD operations. Wright Flyers Chairman: Joe Andrew, MAX Credit Union • Function as a liaison and support agency between the local military and business communities. • Demonstrate Chamber and community commitment to our Armed Forces through top-notch events and programs that provide opportunities for critical interaction between DoD/military personnel and Chamber members. • Advocate for core mission expansion to sustain growth of the DoD presence in the Montgomery area. • Expand Wright Flyer membership to include the entire River Region. (The Wright Flyers organization is comprised of business and community leaders who are selected for membership by invitation.)


GOAL III: TRANSFORM MONTGOMERY’S IMAGE Executive Committee Liaison: Nim Frazer, Industrial Partners

Convention & Visitor Bureau Advisory Council Chairman: Ken Selvaggi, WSFA TV

• Increase awareness of the tourism and travel industry and its economic and quality-of-life impact.

• Provide input and support to the CVB’s goal to generate 35,000 room night bookings in 2011.

• Evaluate effectiveness of the new downtown signage program and recommend any additions or changes to enhance the tourism experience for visitors.

o

Increase planner site visits and familiarization (FAM) tours for the meetings market to increase awareness of Montgomery’s product and position the region as a leading destination.

• Expand on the newly redesigned Montgomery and the River Region Visitor Guide through increased industry participation, in-room use by area hotels, and increased distribution.

o

Explore additional meeting markets to expand the sales effort.

• Publish a new event planner as a companion piece to the new Visitor Guide.

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Expand recruiting efforts through increased sponsorship opportunities at tradeshows and increase exposure with a more targeted audience.

• Enhance the Montgomery Area Visitor Center through wireless access for visitors and connectivity to CVB Internet and social media marketing efforts.

• Work in partnership with the City of Montgomery and the Central Alabama Sports Commission (CASA) to ensure a successful sales and marketing effort for the multi-purpose sports facility (opening in the summer of 2012). The CASA is the recruitment vehicle for sporting events operating to enhance tourism-related revenues for the River Region. o

Partner with the city and the CASC to host All-Star Sports Week in the summer of 2011 as it returns to the Capital City.

• Expand internet-based marketing: o

o

• Support the city’s initiatives in the development of the targeted corridors including: area beautification, street-scaping, infrastructure upgrades and improvements, crime prevention, environmental cleanup, and residential and retail development.

Image Development

Increase the CVB’s social media presence and fan base and develop a social media campaign to drive traffic to the CVB website.

The Chamber will work through the following initiatives to positively position Montgomery and the River Region to local, national and international audiences:

Conduct a media familiarization (FAM) trip in an effort to increase Montgomery’s media exposure and continue Montgomery’s story.

• Continue to engage with local travel and tourism stakeholders with routine Director of Sales meetings and Tourism Roundtable meetings, which serve as vital components of the CVB’s marketing and sales recruitment efforts. • Increase hospitality industry education and awareness of all tourism-related events and products in Montgomery and the River Region through ongoing customer service training. • Act as a catalyst to create new tourism product opportunities. • Engage in public relations efforts behind major local/statewide initiatives and position Montgomery as a key component of these programs. Upcoming initiatives include the 45th anniversary of the Selma-to-Montgomery Voting Rights March and the 55th anniversary of the Montgomery Bus Boycott in 2011 and the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War in 2011. o

• Assist, support and promote the redevelopment of key corridors and gateways, particularly along the I-65 Corridor.

Introduce a CVB blog to the website to keep visitors and local industry partners abreast of current events and tourism news to further enhance the visitor experience.

• Maintain relationships with local, regional, national, and international trade media and travel journalists through a proactive media-relations plan with the distribution of press materials and direct contact. o

Priority Corridor Development

Initiatives include the Tri-State Civil War Association, which will commemorate the Civil War in three states: Alabama, Georgia and Tennessee; and Becoming Alabama, a statewide project commemorating three historical Alabama events: the Creek Indian War, the Civil Rights Movement and the Civil War.

• Continue partnerships with hospitality industry leaders and Montgomery Public School officials to ensure the success of the hospitality and tourism career academy and expose students to hospitality and culinary arts opportunities, thus establishing a strong workforce.

• Work in partnership with the City of Montgomery to implement the Capital of Dreams city branding campaign. o

Produce a new image film used for marketing and economic development recruitment.

o

Integrate the Capital of Dreams brand into the Chamber’s economic development and tourism marketing efforts where applicable.

o

Conduct a public opinion survey measuring quality-of-life satisfaction and public pride among Montgomery residents. The survey will be used to: • Measure success of the Capital of Dreams initiative. • Identify key issues of importance to Montgomery residents and utilize the branding campaign as a platform to communicate “good news” messages to the public on those topics. • Provide valuable input into the Imagine a Greater Montgomery II strategic plan.

• Implement social media strategies using Facebook, LinkedIn and Twitter to expand communications to the Chamber’s diverse audiences, including members and potential members, the local community, corporate recruiters, site selectors, business clients, visitors, military and young professionals. • Ensure that the Chamber website is fresh and vital to the business community, tourists and visitors, residents of the River Region as well as corporate recruiters and site selectors around the world. • Build on the positive response and credibility of the Montgomery Business Journal to positively position the Montgomery area business community and promote the new image of Montgomery.

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BUSINESS PLAN

GOAL IV: EMBRACE DIVERSITY AND ENHANCE LEADERSHIP CAPACITY Executive Committee Liaison: Horace Horn, PowerSouth Energy

Leadership Development • Further strengthen the partnership between the Chamber and Leadership Montgomery to support expanded and sustainable leadership development initiatives. • Enhance Leadership Montgomery’s community image through improved communications about successful programs. • Devise and implement funding strategies that lead to major Leadership Montgomery events becoming self-sustaining. • Continue to strengthen the Leadership Montgomery Legacy Program and Alumni Association. • Using class day evaluations, revise and conduct an enhanced third EMERGE Torchbearers Class program. • Nurture and further develop the Torchbearers Alumni Association. • Foster collaboration and trust among area elected officials through improved communication.

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Governmental Affairs Task Force Chairman: Horace Horn, PowerSouth Energy • Monitor issues and legislation at the local, state and federal level and make policy and position recommendations to the Chamber Board of Directors on key issues impacting Montgomery area businesses. • Host briefings with local elected officials to inform them of the status of Chamber initiatives. • Develop the joint City/County/Chamber federal request. • Develop a State Issues Legislative agenda. • Act as a catalyst on key initiatives and infrastructure projects that will expand the economic development of the region.

Women in Business Forum Chairman: Robin Barca, Baptist Health • Enhance the Women in Business Forum through the Athena Awards Program.

Diversity Summit

• Expand professional development, networking and mentoring programs to engage a broader base of businesswomen.

• Develop and implement the 4th Annual Diversity Summit to increase appreciation for the value of diversity to the River Region business community.

• Conduct the Women in Business Forum’s 4th Annual Gathering to celebrate accomplishments of professional women in the Montgomery Area.

2011 BUSINESS PLAN


GOAL V: STRENGTHEN THE CHAMBER Executive Committee Liaison: Larry Puckett, Larry Puckett Chevrolet

MONTGOMERY AREA CHAMBER OF COMMERCE DEPARTMENTS & SENIOR STAFF The Chamber has three physical locations:

Imagine a Greater Montgomery II Steering Committee Chairman: Kenny Coleman, Alabama Power Company • Shepherd development of the next five-year phase of the Chamber’s economic development strategy and secure the necessary resources for implementation. • Evaluate best practices identified in the planning process and conduct an Inter-City Leadership Visit or mini-visits accordingly.

MAIN CHAMBER OFFICE 41 Commerce Street, Montgomery AL 36104 334-834-5200 Executive

Randall L. George, CEcD | President 334-240-9423 | rgeorge@montgomerychamber.com

Anna Buckalew | Senior Vice President Membership Task Force Chairman: Carl Barranco, Wilson, Price, Barranco & Billingsley

334-240-9423 | abuckalew@montgomerychamber.com

• Conduct a Membership Recruitment Campaign with engagement of the Board of Directors.

334-240-9434 | pguy@montgomerychamber.com

• Develop and implement a membership awareness campaign and membership brand.

Patsy W. Guy | Vice President, Member & Investor Relations

Tina McManama | Vice President, Marketing & Communications 334-240-9295 | tmcmanama@montgomerychamber.com

Paul Redhead, IOM | Vice President, Administration Chamber Ambassadors • Serve as official hosts for Chamber events and focus on Chamber strategies that promote networking and relationship building among members.

Total Resource Council Chairman: Larry Puckett, Larry Puckett Chevrolet • Evaluate the 2010 Total Resource Campaign and develop new opportunities for the 2011 Campaign.

Past Chairman’s Council • Capitalize on one of the Chamber’s greatest resources, its Past Chairmen. Hold routine briefings as needed, and utilize the group to assist in special projects that support the Imagine a Greater Montgomery strategy, as defined by the Chamber’s Executive Committee.

334-240-9446 | predhead@montgomerychamber.com Corporate Development & Recruitment

Ellen G. McNair, CEcD | Senior Vice President, Corporate Development 334-240-9430 | emcnair@montgomerychamber.com

THE CHAMBER SMALL BUSINESS RESOURCE CENTER 600 S. Court Street, Montgomery AL 36104 334-832-4790 Dr. Cameron Martindale | Senior Vice President, Community Development 334-240-9299 | cmartindale@montgomerychamber.com

Harold L. Boone, Sr. | Vice President, Minority Business Development & Leadership Programs 334-262-2270 | hboone@montgomerychamber.com

Joe Greene | Vice President, Military & Governmental Affairs 334-240-9459 | jgreene@montgomerychamber.com

Staff Team Diversity Throughout its organization, the Chamber will work to ensure that the professional staff team reflects the diverse constituencies it serves.

Douglas Jones | Vice President, Business Services Executive Director, The Small Business Resource Center 334-240-6864 | djones@montgomerychamber.com

The Chamber Convention & Visitor Bureau Union Station 300 Water Street, Montgomery AL 36104 Montgomery Visitor Center 334-262-0013 Dawn Hathcock | Vice President, Convention & Visitor Bureau 334-261-1100 | dhathcock@montgomerychamber.com

www.montgomerychamber.com

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MISSION Committed to exceptional service, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce works to enhance the economic well-being of the business community and enhance the quality of life of the area through the creation and preservation of jobs.

Building Business. Building the 12

2011 BUSINESS PLAN

River

Region.


Past chairmen

of the Montgomery area chamber of commerce

1890-96

H. B. Houghton

1942-43

William C. Bowman

1980

Dr. Thomas C. Nolan

1897-98

Jacob Greil

1944-45

L. D. Rouse

1981

James S. Gaskell, Jr.

1899-1900 Charles G. Abercrombie

1946

Stanhope E. Elmore

1982

John M. Trotman

1901-04

Alex Rice

1947

James D. Flowers

1983

Samuel L. Schloss

1905-08

A. G. Forbes

1948

James J. Durr

1984

Maury D. Smith

1909

Fred S. Ball

1949-50

Boyd H. Leyburn

1985

Parker A. Narrows

1910

Sam J. Cassels

1951

Robert F. Henry

1986

James G. Martin, Sr.

1911

Edwin B. Joseph

1952

Max S. Baum

1986-87

Henry A. Leslie

1911

Frank D. Kohn

1953

Charles M. Smith, Jr.

1988

George B. Clements

1912

Emil J. Meyer

1954

C.T. Fitzpatrick

1989

Clyde H. Wood

1913

Fitzgerald Salter

1955

James G. Pruett

1990

Perry Mendel

1914

Duncan May

1956

Mark A. Johnston

1991-92

Will Hill Tankersley

1915

Terry T. Griel

1957

Clyde C. Pearson

1993

A. Bowen Ballard

1916

Clayton Tullis

1958

J. Noble Crump

1994

J. Mike Jenkins

1917

A. C. Davis

1959-60

Carl W. Bear

1995

Margaret A. Carpenter

1918

E. Meertief

1961

Edgar W. Stuart

1996

Todd Strange

1919

C. J. Beane

1962

Bryan B. Marsh

1997

Tom Somerville

1920

I. H. Dewees

1963-64

W. Lyle Hinds

1998

James K. Lowder

1921

Robert Teague

1965

A. Berney Jones

1999

W. Stephen Cawood

1922

I. H. Dewees

1966

Charles P. Brightwell

2000

Nimrod T. Frazer, Sr.

1923

L. C. Cardinal

1967

W. Robbins Taylor, Sr.

2001

Jerry C. Kyser

1924

I. Fred Solomon

1968

George E. von Gal, Jr.

2002

Lawrence Cole, Jr.

1925

Harry E. Snow

1969

Frank A. Plummer

2003

Larry A. Groce

1926

General Robert F. Ligon

1970

Philip A. Sellers

2004

Carl A. Barranco

1927-28

W. A. Bellingrath

1971

Earle D. Kitchen

2005

G. Carlton Barker

1929

Robert Emmet Seibels

1972

Thomas M. Tyson, Sr.

2006

Purser L. McLeod, Jr.

1930-31

Fred J. Cramton

1973

Hugh P. Foreman

2007

Edward F. Crowell

1932-33

Harry E. Snow

1974

James L. Rouse, Jr.

2008

Gordon G. Martin

1934

W. A. Bellingrath

1975

Frank H. Hawthorne, Sr.

2008

Charles B. Paterson

1935-36

Sylvain Baum

1976

Robert P. Hudgens

2009

W. Daniel Hughes, Jr.

1937-38

J. M. Jenkins

1977

John H. Neill, Jr.

2010

Nimrod T. Frazer, Jr.

1939-40

A. S. Coleman

1978

James T. Upchurch, Jr.

1941

Richard F. Hudson

1979

M. Taylor Dawson, Jr.

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

31


Member News

BusinessBuzz The oil spill litigation is potentially a multi-billion dollar claim.

Rhon Jones

BEASLEY ALLEN ATTORNEY SELECTED TO SERVE ON BP LITIGATION COMMITTEE MONTGOMERY – Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C. attorney Rhon Jones has been chosen to help direct litigation related to the BP oil disaster. Jones is one of 15 lawyers out of more than 100 who applied to oversee the consolidated litigation as part of the Plaintiffs Steering Committee. The BP litigation, which involves hundreds of cases against the oil giant and other defendants, was consolidated under U.S. District Judge Carl Barbier in New Orleans.

Beasley Allen has filed a number of lawsuits in District Courts in Alabama, Mississippi, Florida and Louisiana to help protect businesses and individuals harmed by the oil spill. Complaints have been filed on behalf of a broad range of clients including commercial fishing businesses, retail establishments, the restaurant industry, real estate management companies, property owners, persons suffering personal injuries and others.

Jane Goodson

“This is a big honor and responsibility,” said Jones, who heads the firm’s environmental law section. “It puts our firm in a leadership role with the BP oil litigation.” Consolidating the cases into a multidistrict litigation (MDL) allows the committee overseeing the process to put more pressure and focus on moving the case forward, moving cases more quickly to resolution. Lawyers will coordinate the litigation and work together on issues of discovery.

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Gregg Newschwander

RETIRED BUSINESSWOMAN WILL DONATE $1.1 MILLION TO AUM MONTGOMERY – Retired Montgomery businesswoman Dottie Kenady Blair has pledged $1.1 million to Auburn University at Montgomery to support AUM’s

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011

School of Business, School of Nursing and the university’s planned wellness center. Blair, former president of Central Alabama Nursing Services Inc., is a two-time graduate of Auburn Montgomery, receiving her bachelor’s degree in business administration in 1981 and her master’s degree in 1988. Blair has pledged $1 million to support a $500,000 endowment for a professorship and a $500,000 endowment for a full four-year scholarship. Both the professorship and the scholarship will alternate on a four-year basis between the AUM School of Business and the AUM School of Nursing. Blair’s $100,000 cash gift will support the soon-to-be-constructed AUM Wellness Center. “Dottie Blair’s generous gift has great significance to the future of the School of Business,” said Jane Goodson, dean of the AUM School of Business. “The scholarship and professorship that she is establishing will allow us to attract and retain the highest-quality students and faculty and will ensure that the School of Business continues to flourish as a Best Business School. We are proud that Dottie is an alumnus and value her long-standing relationship with the school.” “Dottie’s exemplary career in health care administration, supported by her business degree from AUM, has led her to possess a clear understanding of the need for excellence

in nursing,” said Gregg E. Newschwander, dean of the AUM School of Nursing. “Her affection for AUM and giving back is demonstrated in her ongoing, myriad support and very active participation at many levels in the life of this university. Dottie’s accomplishments and philanthropy affirm the quality of education provided at AUM and the lasting impact one alumna can have on her alma mater.” SERVISFIRST BANCSHARES ENJOYS RECORDSETTING QUARTER BIRMINGHAM - ServisFirst Bancshares Inc. reported a nearly 200 percent increase in net income for the third quarter. The company, which has locations in Montgomery, Huntsville and Dothan as well as Birmingham, reported record third-quarter net income of $4.8 million and record net income for nine months - $12.8 million. ServisFirst also announced its 20th consecutive quarters of profitability. The company reported earnings per share of $.87 for the quarter and $2.33 for nine months. WILSON PRICE CONNECTIONS KICKS OFF ITS SECOND YEAR MONTGOMERY - Wilson Price Connections, a women’s program launched by the accounting firm Wilson Price in the fall of 2009, kicked off its 2010-2011 year with a new theme, venue and widespread participation.


More than 80 professional women from throughout the business community gathered for lunch, networking and a professional development program at 129 Coosa St. Themed “Grow 2 Lead: The Women of Today and Tomorrow,” the Connections’ programs focus on leadership with an emphasis on accountability, confidence, optimism, motivation and balance. Sharleen Smith, associate director of the Alabama Training Institute, ignited the series with a presentation on accountability. In addition to the luncheons, Connections participants will also take part in various community efforts, including a second annual Flip Flop Friday fundraiser scheduled for May.

Charles Nelson

Greg Allen

FAULKNER UNIVERSITY’S JONES SCHOOL OF LAW BREAKS GROUND FOR ALLEN LAW CENTER MONTGOMERY – The Allen Law Center on the campus of Faulkner University’s Thomas Goode Jones School of Law is building a new $2.5 million facility. The 17,000-square-foot building will include additional study space in the law library, a classroom, faculty office space,

a courtroom and space for the school’s three law clinics. The law clinics assist clients with cases involving family violence, elder law and mediation. The new building will provide space for client interview rooms, and will feature a separate private entrance and parking area for the clinic’s clients. The building – Allen Law Center - is being named after Greg Allen, a shareholder at Beasley, Allen, Crow, Methvin, Portis & Miles, P.C., who is a Jones School of Law graduate. “The Allen Law Center will be a major addition to Jones School of Law,” said dean Charles I. Nelson. “This is another major step forward for the law school in its effort to become an excellent regional law school in the Southeast. The unfailing support of alumni like Greg Allen is an essential part of that progress and we are very grateful for him.” The new facility is scheduled to open in the fall 2011. Russell Construction Co. of Montgomery is the contractor and the architect for the project is Montgomerybased Infinity Architects. “I am honored, and humbled, by the decision to name this new wing for me,” Allen said. “It is my pleasure to give back to Jones School of Law, which gave me an outstanding education and the skills to pursue a profession that I enjoy. I feel it’s my responsibility to give back to other students who I hope will one day enrich this profession and make a difference in the lives of people who need legal help.” FAULKNER UNIVERSITY HONORS SERVISFIRST BANK EXECUTIVE MONTGOMERY – ServisFirst Bank executive Ray Petty was recently honored as Faulkner University’s Distinguished Service Award recipient. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 34)

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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BUSINESS BUZZ (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 33) The Montgomery company was awarded a contract for roof replacement on the U.S. Army’s Infantry Headquarters at Fort Benning, Ga. The reroofing work is part of an $80 million renovation project.

Ray Petty

John Argo

Petty, chief development officer for ServisFirst Bank was recognized at the university’s annual benefit dinner at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center. The annual dinner featured former Alaska Gov. Sarah Palin.

The new, 76,740-square-foot Westway Shopping Center and the new 63,800-squarefoot Cottonwood Shopping Center, both feature Publix supermarket as anchors. The simultaneous openings were a first for Aronov and Publix.

Faulkner’s Distinguished Service Award is given to an individual who has demonstrated service and support to Faulkner University and one who, through his involvement, has impacted the lives of Faulkner’s students. Petty was honored for contributions and valued friendship, not only to Faulkner University, but also to various organizations and charities in Alabama.

“Not only are we pleased to be the developer to introduce Publix to the Dothan market,” said John Argo, project developer with Aronov Realty Management Inc., “but we are thrilled to bring these two beautiful new retail centers and Publix to the market at the same time on the same day. In the 58-year history of Aronov and the 80-year history of Publix, the simultaneous openings we just celebrated mark a milestone for both companies.”

He is a 40-year veteran of the banking industry having served with SouthTrust Bank in multiple positions, including the position of regional president for South Alabama/Mississippi and Northwest Florida. After the merger with Wachovia, Petty continued to serve in the same capacities for Wachovia until his retirement in 2006. Petty has also served on the faculty at the University of South Alabama Banking School for 15 years. ARONOV REALTY MANAGEMENT OPENS TWO SHOPPING CENTERS IN DOTHAN MONTGOMERY - Shopping center developer Aronov Realty Management Inc. recently celebrated the simultaneous openings of its two newest grocery-anchored shopping centers in Dothan.

34

Official ribbon-cutting ceremonies were held at each shopping center with representatives from Aronov, Publix, the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, Houston County and City of Dothan officials on hand for the event. Both projects were completed and opened ahead of schedule. In addition to Publix, the new Westway Shopping Center and Cottonwood Shopping Center will feature 20 retailers providing a wide array of dining, shopping and personal services. Both shopping centers are fully leased. STANDARD ROOFING CO. AWARDED TWO CONTRACTS MONTGOMERY – Standard Roofing Co. has been awarded two contracts.

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011

Standard Roofing was also awarded a contract for roofing work on the Orleans Parish Sheriffs Correction facility in New Orleans, which is part of a $67 million project. Both the Fort Benning and New Orleans projects are scheduled for completion in 2011.

Thompson Insurance President George Thompson said, “This is the 16th consecutive year that we have been selected. We are proud to be one of only seven agencies in the State of Alabama to make the 2010 Best Practices List.” More than 1,200 independent agencies throughout the U.S. were nominated to participate in the annual study, but only 224 agencies qualified for the honor. To be chosen, the agency had to be among the 35-40 top-performing agencies in one of six revenue categories. Thompson Insurance Inc. was founded in 1964.

George Thompson

THOMPSON INSURANCE SELECTED AS ‘BEST PRACTICES AGENCY’ MONTGOMERY – Thompson Insurance Inc. is part of an elite group of 195 independent insurance agencies across the United States participating in the Independent Insurance Agents & Brokers of America (IIABA or the Big “I”) “Best Practices” Study Group. Each year since 1993, IIABA and Reagan Consulting, an Atlantabased management consulting firm, join forces to study the country’s leading agencies in six revenue categories. The agencies comprising the study groups are selected every third year through a comprehensive nomination and qualifying process and awarded a “Best Practices Agency” designation. The selected “Best Practices” agencies retain their status during the three-year cycle by submitting extensive financial and operational data for review each year.

The We Care program in Atmore received a Wii gaming system from the Beasley Allen law firm. (From left) Marvin Bender, program director for We Care; Joe Kolb, We Care volunteer; Helen Taylor, public relations coordinator for Beasley Allen; and David Landis, president of We Care.

WE CARE PROGRAM RECEIVES Wii FROM BEASLEY ALLEN LAW FIRM MONTGOMERY – The Beasley Allen law firm presented the 10th Wii gaming system in its year-long “Wii Give Back!” campaign to the We Care Program in Atmore. The We Care Program plans to incorporate the Wii system into its Timothy House program for men coming out of prison. The Wii helps people of all ages to improve their physical fitness by combining engaging video games with physical motion using a unique hand-held controller. The Wii also is becoming a popular therapeutic tool, useful in physical therapy / rehabilitation.


BUSINESS BUZZ “I want to take this opportunity to thank Beasley Allen law firm for the donation of a Wii system to the Timothy House,” said David Landis, president of We Care Program. Beasley Allen established the Wii Give Back campaign after donating two Wii gaming systems to rehabilitation programs in Alabama last fall. The effort was so well-received that Beasley Allen expanded the program to provide a Wii gaming system to a deserving Alabama charity each month in 2010.

the Prattville YMCA, Prattville Area Chamber of Commerce, Autauga Academy, Prattville Rotary Club and the Prattville Area United Way. He is currently the president of the Prattville Area Character Coalition.

Long-drive professional Vince Howell was the special guest at the MAX4Kids Charity Golf Tournament at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail in Prattville.

GOLF TOURNAMENT RAISES $30,000-PLUS FOR MAX4KIDS FOUNDATION

Frank Lamar

MONTGOMERY AREA COUNCIL ON AGING HONORS RETIRED WILSON PRICE SHAREHOLDER MONTGOMERY- Retired WilsonPrice shareholder Frank Lamar was recently named a 2010 Senior of Achievement by the Montgomery Area Council on Aging (MACOA). A luncheon was held at the Capital City Club in Montgomery, where recipients were honored for their work with charitable and civic organizations in the area. Other recipients were Hertisene Crenshaw, Bishop Paul Duffey, Judge William Gordon, Mamie Sellers, James Spear, Maggie Stringer and Gladys Riddle-Watson. Jerry Kyser received the 2010 Mary Katherine Archibald Blount Special Friend of MACOA Award. Lamar, who is a part-time WilsonPrice employee, has been involved with multiple civic and charitable organizations including

PRATTVILLE - The MAX4Kids Foundation raised $30,000plus from its 11th annual golf tournament. The tournament set records for participation, sponsorship and fundraising. The tournament had 190 players at the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail’s Legislator and Senator courses. There were more than 100 corporate sponsors. “The annual charity golf tournament is the foundation’s largest fundraiser of the year,” said MAX4Kids Foundation President Wayne Blackwell. “Through MAX4Kids, fantastic organizations and individuals who serve our community are able to make a huge impact on children in the River Region.” The MAX4Kids Foundation assists children in the River Region through scholarship programs and donations to various charitable organizations. Over the past 10 years, the foundation, which is sponsored by Max Credit Union, has donated nearly (CONTINUED ON PAGE 36)

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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BUSINESS BUZZ (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 35) $350,000 to children’s charities and has distributed more than $130,000 in college scholarships for high school seniors. For the second time in the tournament’s history, a golfer had a hole in one. Barry Parker with Moore-Stewart Ford aced the sixth hole of the Legislator Course and won a trip to the Green Valley Ranch near Las Vegas.

2WR Inc. on the concept and design of the Hampstead Institute Downtown Farm. Cole-Tyson is working with the Montgomery Tree Committee on the Cypress Pond Park project, a 260-acre Cypress Pond area immediately upriver from the Riverwalk.

Dee Parks

MAMMA NEM’S CASUAL DINING OFFERS ‘UPSCALE CLASSY COUNTRY COOKING’ MONTGOMERY – Dee Parks, who owns four pharmacies and a shoe store, has now opened a restaurant.

D.G. Markwell (left), senior vice president of marketing and business development for Max Credit, presents the 2010 EcoMAX Sustainability Award to Andrew Cole-Tyson of 2WR Inc.

COLE-TYSON OF 2WR INC. RECEIVES ECOMAX SUSTAINABILITY LEADERSHIP AWARD MONTGOEMRY – Andrew ColeTyson with 2WR Inc. received the EcoMAX Sustainability Leadership Award. Max Credit Union in conjunction with EcoMAX Sustainable Living presented the third annual award to Cole-Tyson of 2WR Inc. for his work on several initiatives, including the Full of Life Urban Farm, Montgomery Pedicab Co., Hampstead Institute Downtown Farm and Cypress Pond Park. The Full of Life Urban Farm is a community garden in the Nixon Times neighborhood of West Montgomery on what used to be vacant lot. Cole-Tyson along with his partner Clay McInnis formed the Montgomery Pedicab Co., which features three-wheeled covered rickshaws that can carry two adult passengers. The cabs are operated by a driver on a bicycle. The Hampstead Institute worked with Cole-Tyson and

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The new Service Corps of Resource Executives officers are (from left) Pat Patmanathan, vice chair; Curtis Ingram, treasurer; Gene Ann Mullins, secretary/ administrator; and Rick Williams, chair.

SCORE ANNOUNCES 2011 OFFICERS MONTGOMERY – The Service Corps of Resource Executives (SCORE) installed new officers for 2011. The new officers for the local chapter are Rick Williams, chair; Pat Pathmanathan, vice chair; Gene Ann Mullins, secretary/administrator; and Curtis Ingram, treasurer. The goals for 2011 include continuing to provide free and low-cost workshops and assistance to an increasing number of small businesses. SCORE is a national organization of volunteers providing free counseling and mentoring for entrepreneurs starting a new business and business owners seeking to expand or having difficulties with their company. The national goal is creating 1 million new businesses by 2017. The local chapter has an office in the Small Business Resource Center at 600 S. Court St. For appointments, call (334) 240-6868.

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011

Mamma Nem’s Casual Dining opened late November at the former site of Cracker Barrel on Eastern Boulevard. Parks calls the style of food “upscale classy country cooking.” The style of Southern soul food borrows from three major regions: Louisiana Creole, South Carolina Geechee and Montgomery Deep South. The restaurant will be open 7 a.m.-11 p.m. Friday and Saturday; and 7 a.m.-9 p.m. Sunday-Thursday. Parks Pharmacy has four locations with two stores in Montgomery and one in Selma and Hayneville. The D-Shoe Outlet is located in Executive Park, at the front of a pharmacy store. BUSINESS COMMITTEE FOR THE ARTS ANNOUNCES AWARD WINNERS MONTGOMERY - Caddell Construction Co. Inc. received the Frank Plummer Memorial Arts Award at the Montgomery Area Business Committee for the Arts’ 24th annual awards program Aronov Realty received the Robert S. and Virginia Weil Arts in Education Award. Other winners were: Leslie Bailey’s Extraordinary Events, small business; Touch of Class Limousine and Transport,

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange (left) congratulates John Caddell of Caddell Construction on receiving the Frank Plummer Memorial Arts Award.

medium-sized business; Jackson Thornton, large business. More than 450 guests attended the awards program at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center.

Carol Andrews

ARONOV REALTY LAUNCHES MOBILE REAL ESTATE APP MONTGOMERY - Aronov Realty Brokerage Inc. has launched a mobile app that works on standard cell phones and smartphones across all mobile carriers. The public can download the app to their phone to view all homes for sale in the Montgomery area. Aronov Realty’s mobile app uses GPS, when available, to locate the user and display listings in the immediate area. Users can also search by address, city or zip code to see property details for all homes for sale in a specified area, including price, square footage, estimated mortgage, taxes, features, maps, pictures and more. The “Refine Search” feature lets users select a price range, property type and the number of beds


BUSINESS BUZZ and baths to help them find just what they’re looking for. “The importance of providing homebuyers with a mobile search app that reaches virtually every cell phone user is vital to today’s consumer,” said Carol Andrews, vice president and general manager of Aronov Realty Brokerage. Consumers can text ARONOV to 87778 to send Aronov’s mobile app to their cell phone or visit www.AronovRealty. com to download the mobile real estate search. ONLINE COMMERCE GROUP ASSISTS FAMILY FEATURED ON TV SHOW MONTGOMERY - “George to the Rescue,” a nationallysyndicated design show, recently enlisted the web-based retail site Cushion Source to assist a New York family. Cushion Source offers customers online options to order custom-sized cushions, throw pillows, drapes and more in 1,000-plus fabric choices “Everyone at Cushion Source was more than willing to provide their time and talents to assist the Martorell family with this special project,” said Scott McGlon, president of Online Commerce Group the parent company of Cushion Source. “For a show like ‘George to the Rescue’ to rely on our expertise related to custommade cushions is a testament to the quality products we offer.” Cushion Source and 16 other companies contributed services and products for the episode of “George to the Rescue” featuring Roseanne and Joe Martorell.

WALKER AND MOORE DESIGNED INTERIORS FOR TWO MAC & MORE STORES MONTGOMERY - Walker and Moore, LLC, has designed the interiors for Mac & More Stores in Prattville and Gulf Shores. Walker and Moore, a local interior design and project management firm, worked closely with Apple representatives to display the products. Electrical and data capability, with concealed wire management, is critical in supporting the clean and sleek appearance that is a signature of Apple and its products. A modular display system based on a vertical format allows for complete flexibility while keeping the architectural lines consistent. Support areas include a computer repair area, stock room, offices, genius bar and training room. Flat-screen TV units stream current information on a constant basis and can be updated from a central location so that the shopper is receiving the most current Apple news. ORGANIZATION HONORS LOCAL PHILANTHROPISTS MONTGOMERY – Local philanthropists were recently honored by the Central Alabama Chapter of The Association of Fundraising Professionals. The recipients were Outstanding Philanthropist - James and Margaret Lowder; Outstanding Civic Leader – W. Daniel Hughes Jr.; Outstanding Corporate Citizen – Montgomery Biscuits Baseball; Fundraising Executive of the Year – Eve Loeb; and Outstanding Charitable Organization – Central Alabama Community Foundation.

(CONTINUED ON PAGE 38

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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BUSINESS BUZZ (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 37) This allows transportation of two-wheel chairs plus one passenger or one wheelchair and four passengers, giving an opportunity for the entire family to travel together. The company also uses Lincoln Town Cars.

Michael Jenkins IV

LOCAL BUSINESSES HONORED FOR ETHICS MONTGOMERY – Several local businesses were honored for their ethical practices at the 2010 River Region Ethics in Business and Public Service Awards luncheon.

“The Town Car fuel efficiency is nearly three times and the diesel powered Mercedes vans 2.5 times the fuel efficiency of a traditional 15-passenger van,” said Buddy Hobbs, operations manager for Touch of Class Limousine. “This fuel savings reduces operational cost and makes us more cost effective.”

Beasley Allen Managing Shareholder Tom Methvin. “This is a valuable opportunity for continuing education, as well as providing the chance for networking with other attorneys.” The meeting featured speakers including Beasley Allen Founding Shareholder Jere L. Beasley; David Bronner, CEO of the Retirement Systems of Alabama; Morris Dees, founder and chief trial counsel, Southern Poverty Law Center; Judge Charles Price; and Judge Joel Dubina.

Large Business Alabama Gas Co. Medium Business B & M Management. Small Business Anchor Mortgage Co. Nonprofit Hospice of Montgomery. The awards program at Wynlakes Golf and Country Club was the inaugural event conducted by the Samaritan Counseling Center Inc. TOUCH OF CLASS LIMOUSINE ADDS NON MEDICAL EMERGENCY TRANSPORTATION MONTGOMERY - Touch of Class Limousine and Transport has expanded its operations into non-emergency medical transportation. Touch of Class has spent two years testing and refining its nonmedical program providing nonmedical transportation to several thousand clients. Touch of Class has added a wheel chair service using Mercedes Sprinter vans, providing flexible transportation.

38

Bill Wallace Thomas J. Methvin

BEASLEY ALLEN CONFERENCE DRAWS 1,400-PLUS LAWYERS TO DOWNTOWN MONTGOMERY- Beasley Allen law firm attracted more than 1,400 lawyers to its fourth annual Legal Strategies Conference & Expo. The event, held at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center, provides continuing legal education credits and is open to all Alabama lawyers in private practice. The conference, which has grown steadily each year from about 400 lawyers in 2007, has an estimated $250,000plus economic impact. Practice areas addressed included product liability, mass torts and fraud. Special programs included the topic of legal ethics. “We are extremely pleased to be able to offer this conference as a service for lawyers throughout the State of Alabama,” said

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011

“It also provided an opportunity to work closely with the local education community to foster an appreciation of the arts along with assisting a tremendous institution like the Montgomery Area Food bank.” AREA HOSPITAL CAMPUSES ARE NOW TOBACCO FREE MONTGOMERY - All campuses of Baptist Health hospitals, Jackson Hospital and HealthSouth Rehabilitation Hospital of Montgomery became tobacco free.

J. Michael Jenkins IV, CEO of Jenkins Brick and Tile Co. received the Maury D. Smith Award for Excellence in Professional Ethics. Other recipients were:

charitable giving, using the arts as a catalyst,” said Bill Wallace, executive vice president and director of architecture at Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood.

CAN STRUCTURE BRINGS 5,000 FOOD ITEMS FOR FOOD BANK MONTGOMERY - Six Montgomery area high schools participated in the second annual can-structure event. The event, conducted by the architectural firm of Goodwyn, Mills and Cawood, is a showcase for students to display their skills in building structures from cans of food. After their works are displayed, the cans of food are donated to the Montgomery Area Food Bank. The organization received more than 5,000 cans. Jefferson Davis High School placed first with Brewbaker Technology Magnet High School second and Montgomery Catholic finished third. Brewbaker also won the viewer’s choice award. Other schools competing were Success Unlimited Academy, The Montgomery Academy and Trinity Presbyterian High School. “This allowed our employees the occasion to comingle with

Tobacco use of any kind will be prohibited on all sidewalks, grounds and facilities of the hospital campuses. One in five adult Alabamians smoke, with 7,600 dying each year from their own tobacco use, and Alabama pays $1.5 billion in direct medical costs to treat smoking. Data from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention show that in adults who have never smoked, environmental tobacco smoke, also called secondhand smoke, can cause heart disease and lung cancer. Secondhand smoke exposure is the third-leading cause of preventable death, killing about 800 Alabamians each year. Even brief exposure to secondhand smoke can be harmful to health. SELF-SERVE FROZEN YOGURT BAR OPENS AT THE SHOPPES AT EASTCHASE MONTGOMERY – 32°, A Yogurt Bar has opened at The Shoppes at EastChase. The 1,750-square-foot yogurt bar, which has outside seating for 20, is located next to Bonefish Grill and Moe’s Southwest Grill.


BUSINESS BUZZ “Self-serve frozen yogurt is a new concept rapidly growing in the United States,” said Jeff Pizitz, president of Pizitz Management Group, which owns the yogurt bar. “We offer a healthy, tasty product in an updated and contemporary environment. We serve 14 individual flavors of yogurt to include fat free, kosher, no-sugar added and low-sugar selections on a rotating basis. We specialize in serving the freshest toppings including daily fresh cut fruits, seasonal favorites, and over 40 candy, nut and sauce options.” The company celebrated its grand opening by donating all of its proceeds to the Alabama Shakespeare Festival. WAKA-TV CBS-8 OPENS NEWSROOM IN TROY MONTGOMERY - WAKA-TV CBS8 has opened a newsroom in Troy and hired a reporter for that area.

Jessica Gertler will cover news and community events in Troy and Pike County. She has worked and interned at television stations in Knoxville and Nashville, Tenn. Gertler is a 2010 graduate of the University of Tennessee. “We are committed to covering local news in Troy, the university and Pike County,” said Jim Caruthers, vice president and general manager of WAKA-TV. “Jessica is eager and excited about living in Troy and covering many news events in this area.” CBS-8 News also has newsrooms in Montgomery, Selma and Greenville. CAPITOL CHEVROLET NAMED SATURN AUTHORIZED SERVICE PROVIDER MONTGOMERY - Capitol Chevrolet has become a Saturn Authorized Service Provider, a designation that represents a commitment to meet the needs of Saturn owners.

General Motors selected Capitol Chevrolet as a Saturn Authorized Service Provider based on its record of customer satisfaction. Saturn Authorized Service Providers also have met a set of requirements specifically designed for extending service to Saturn owners.

Saturn owners can contact Capitol Chevrolet at (800) 409-9193 or at www. capitolchevrolet.com. The service department at Capitol Chevrolet is open 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 8 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. The dealership is located at 711 Eastern Blvd.

Capitol Chevrolet now carries Saturn parts. It has invested in specialized tools and training for its technicians to work on Saturn vehicles. The sales and service staff also has been trained on the Saturn dealership experience. “We have extensive experience servicing all lines of GM vehicles and we’re honored to be named the Authorized Service Provider for Saturn,” said Capitol Chevrolet service manager Jody Elmore. “We think all Saturn owners will be delighted with the caliber of customer service they’ll find at Capitol Chevrolet and we look forward to fulfilling all their repair and service needs.”

Heath Harrell

GUARDIAN, COMALA CREDIT UNIONS ANNOUNCE MERGER MONTGOMERY - Two of Montgomery’s oldest credit unions announced a merger. (CONTINUED ON PAGE 40)

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

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BUSINESS BUZZ (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 39) Comala Credit Union, originally established in 1954 to serve employees of the City of Montgomery, has merged with Guardian Credit Union. The two credit unions will operate under the Guardian name, with a total of eight branches serving Montgomery and Prattville. The new credit union will have combined assets of $202plus million, 79 employees and 28,277 members. “We’re very pleased to welcome Comala employees and its members into the Guardian family,” said Heath Harrell, president and CEO of Guardian Credit Union. “Both of these institutions have a strong history of financial stability and unrivaled service to their members. “We want to assure our Comala members that those traditions will continue, and they can count on the same level of service they have come to expect in the past at Comala from those of us here at Guardian. Together, we will stand even stronger.” Guardian Credit Union was originally established in 1958 to serve Alabama National Guard members.

named to the Development Council of the Honors College at Auburn University. Jackson, a certified public accountant, joined WilsonPrice in 1999 after working with an accounting firm in Opelika for two years. He received his bachelor’s degree from Auburn University at Montgomery. He specializes in tax research and preparation for individuals, corporations, partnerships and tax exempt entities.

WILSON PRICE TAX PRINCIPAL APPOINTED TO DEVELOPMENT COUNCIL MONTGOMERY – Wilson Price Barranco Blankenship & Billingsley tax principal Cliff Jackson has recently been

40

The Staybridge Suites-EastChase also received a 2010 Priority Club Rewards Excellence Award for providing exceptional service as measured by overall guest satisfaction from guest surveys.

ERP International, LLC, was established in 2006.

JACKSON HOSPITAL RECEIVES MEDAL FOR ORGAN DONATION MONTGOMERY – Jackson Hospital was one of four Alabama hospitals recognized by the Department of Health and Human Services. Jackson Hospital received a Bronze Medal of Honor for increasing the number of organs available for transportation.

Nancy Stevenson

Melvin Petty

MONTGOMERY - Enterprise Resource Planning International, LLC (ERP) has been awarded contracts by the Air Force Medical Information Systems Branch to provide lifecycle management for standard medical management information systems.

“ERP is grateful for this opportunity to support the Air Force’s Medical Information Systems Branch and our warfighters,” said Melvin Petty, the company’s CEO. “Our team offers the warfighter a wealth of expertise in supporting enterprise applications and military health care systems. We’re honored to be given the chance to support these mission critical programs.”

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011

“The Alabama Organ Center is proud of our hospitals’ commitment to organ donation,” said Alabama Organ Center Director Dem Lalisan. EMERGE TORCHBEARERS SEEK NOMINATIONS FOR YOUNG PROFESSIONAL OF THE YEAR AWARD

ENTERPRISE RESOURCE PLANNING AWARDED CONTRACTS

The contract involved 74 Air Force medical treatment facilities worldwide.

Cliff Jackson

ERP, which has an office on Commerce Street in downtown Montgomery, is a provider of information technology solutions, management consulting and clinical and biotech services to the federal government.

Tammy Griggs

STAYBRIDGE SUITESEASTCHASE EMPLOYEES WIN PRESTIGIOUS AWARDS MONTGOMERY – Two Staybridge Suites-EastChase employees and the hotel itself were recently recognized. Tammy Griggs and Nancy Stevenson from Staybridge Suites-EastChase received awards from the InterContinental Hotels Group (IHG). Griggs won the 2010 Best of the Best General Manager Award while Stevenson won the 2010 Best of the Best Breakfast Host of the Year Award. The hotel won IHG’s 2010 Torchbearer Award, which is the company’s most prestigious honor.

MONTGOMERY - The Emerge Torchbearers’ Leadership Class Alumni is seeking nominations for the Young Professional of the Year Award. Applications are available online at www.torchbearersalumni. com or at the Leadership Montgomery office located at 600 S. Court St., Suite 455. The award will recognize the achievements of a young professional in the River Region, ages 22-40 who has demonstrated noteworthy commitment to excellence and community service in their profession and worked to promote the well-being of their community. The award is also for an individual who demonstrates a high level of leadership, commitment and


BUSINESS BUZZ innovation through professional and personal growth. The award ceremony will be Feb. 15, 2011 at the Capital City Club in Montgomery. Brian Bordainick, founder and executive director, 9th Ward Field of Dreams will be the keynote speaker. Emerge Montgomery’s Torchbearers’ Leadership class provides young professionals the skills and connections to become a community leader. Emerge Montgomery is a program of Leadership Montgomery, which is a Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce initiative.

Admission to the luncheon is $25 for Emerge members and $30 for non-members. For information, contact Shanie Butler at (334) 286-3270 or slbutler@baptistfirst.org.

are kept informed of the City of Montgomery’s abundance of fascinating people, places and events. Prime Montgomery has proven to be an effective ambassador for the Capital City and the entire River Region.”

PRIME MONTGOMERY RECEIVES CERTIFICATE FROM CITY

Prime Montgomery Publisher Bob Corley credited editor Sandra Polizos and art director Callie Corley for the publication’s success.

MONTGOMERY – Prime Montgomery received a Certificate of Recognition from the City of Montgomery. Prime Montgomery, a magazine for those 50 and older, captured several firstplace awards at the North

Prime Montgomery Publisher Bob Corley (left) receives a Certificate of Recognition from Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange.

American Mature Publishers Association conference. The magazine was cited for those awards and the certificate read in part: “as our society continues to age, it is crucial that seniors

To submit your business news for publication, email a press release to editor@montgomerychamber.com. Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Members only.

Audio-Visual Consultants & Designers

Business Management Services

Thomas Communications, Inc. Lowell Thomas 7956 Vaughn Road, PMB 312 Montgomery, AL 36116 334-546-8762

Sycamore Management Debbie Taylor 1763 Taliaferro Trail Montgomery, AL 36117 334-260-0897

Automobile Dealers-Used

Catering Services

New Members AccountingCertified Public

Asphalt Paving Compounds

Holder & Company Donnie Holder 8204 Old Federal Road Montgomery, AL 36117 334-273-0703

Asphalt Paving Company, Inc. Michael Forbus 375 Hunter Loop Road Montgomery, AL 36108 334-263-1872

AdvertisingSocial Media

Associations/ Non-Profit

Great News Media, LLC Eddie Spangler 4353 Liztame Drive Montgomery, AL 36106 334-233-2208

Montgomery Civitan Club Bob Cheney P.O. Box 3155 Montgomery, AL 36109 334-281-2564

Apartments Belmont Apartments, ALyce Patton 3580 McGehee Place Drive, South Montgomery, AL 36111 334-288-0022 Magnolia Terrace Apartments Celeste Smith 155 Sylvest Drive Montgomery, AL 36117 334-277-6226

United Methodist Children’s Home Steve Hubbard 3140 Zelda Court Montgomery, AL 36106 334-386-5354 Ext 241 Women of Hope Maria Ashmore P.O. Box 241411 Montgomery, AL 36124 334-279-9890

GiGi’s Fabulous Foods, LLC Jean Higdon 2029 East 2nd Street Montgomery, AL 36106 334-799-9390

Mitchell Classics, LLC Bill Mitchell 1014 Monticello Park Montgomery, AL 36117 334-224-0337

Cattle

Automobile Repair Services Custom Collision & Restoration Keith Mahone 9021 Wares Ferry Road Montgomery, AL 36117 334-272-7070

McLane-Garrett Cattle Company, Inc. Martha Jean Garrett 6115 Mobile Highway Montgomery, AL 36105 334-288-8247 Mid State Stockyards, LLP Scott Garrett 8415 State Highway 975 Letohatchee, AL 36047 334-227-8000

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January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

41


New Members (continued from page 41) Cellular/Wireless Phone Services United Cellular Robert Stritchik 1844 East Main Street Prattville, AL 36066 334-657-4408

Churches/Ministries Evolve Church Chad Holmes 4500 Vaughn Road Montgomery, AL 36106 334-396-0007

Colleges & Universities Prince Institute of Professional Studies Patricia Hill 7735 Atlanta Highway Montgomery, AL 36117-4231 334-271-1670

Community Services/ Agencies Montgomery AIDS Outreach, Inc. Michael Murphree 820 West South Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36105 334-280-3349

ComputersSoftware/Hardware/ Consulting Pinnacle Networx, LLC David Jones 310 Ellis Lazenby Road Eclectic, AL 36024 334-472-2002

Construction 550 Construction, LLC Scott Gewant 3 Office Park Circle, Suite 318 Birmingham, AL 35223 205-837-3076 American Construction, LLC Scott Owens 2421 Moore Road Grady, AL 36036 334-430-3013 McInnis Construction Steve Parrish 260 Commerce Street, Suite 310 Montgomery, AL 36104 334-323-3770

42

The Palmer Companies William A. Palmer 2310 Spruce Street Montgomery, AL 36107 334-264-0922

Consulting Services Business Innovations Oveta M. White P.O. Box 11411 Montgomery, AL 36111 334-239-7080 F.A.F. Management & Consulting, Inc. Michael Dunwoody 4319 Atlanta Highway Montgomery, AL 36109-3170 334-224-7834 Knight Fleming & Associates Tammy Fleming P.O. Box 6574 Montgomery, AL 36106 334-782-2053 Market Street Mac Holladay 730 Peachtree Street, Suite 540 Atlanta, GA 30308 404-880-7242 Purpose Driven Profits, LLC Mark Thompson 8650 Minnie Brown Road, #203 Montgomery, AL 36117 334-549-6821

Drug Testing

Electric Contractors

Central Alabama Paramedical Services Farris Jones 4208 Carmichael Road North Montgomery, AL 36106 334-396-1117

South Central Electric Company, LLC Joe Ellis 1953 Mobile Road Montgomery, AL 36108 334-850-0147

Dry Cleaners/ Laundries

Electronic Service/ Repairs

Jim Massey’s Cleaners Jim Massey 1848 Highway 14 Prattville, AL 36066 334-365-1987

Mid-South Electric Company, Inc. Mike Archer 6006 Troy Highway Montgomery, AL 36116 334-286-9675

Jim Massey’s Cleaners Jim Massey 1702 Carter Hill Road Montgomery, AL 36106 334-262-1814

Employment Agencies

Jim Massey’s Cleaners Jim Massey 2994 Carter Hill Road Montgomery, AL 36104 334-265-5460 Jim Massey’s Cleaners Jim Massey 7928 Vaughn Road Montgomery, AL 36117 334-272-2001

ContractorsElectrical

Jim Massey’s Cleaners Jim Massey 3791 Norman Bridge Road Montgomery, AL 36105 334-288-7151

Moore Electric Company Johnny C. Moore 700 Sprott Road Montgomery, AL 36117 334-215-7200

Jim Massey’s Cleaners Jim Massey 1663 Perry Hill Road Montgomery, AL 36106 334-272-6377

Credit Union

Jim Massey’s Cleaners Jim Massey 3391 Atlanta Highway Montgomery, AL 36109 334-409-0300

Navy Federal Credit Union Jeremy Cobb 2767 Eastern Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36117 334-395-8139

Dentists Vishnu Dental, PC Suppiramaniam Vishnu 1825 Halcyon Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36117 334-819-7770

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011

Jim Massey’s Cleaners Jim Massey 3035 Mobile Highway Montgomery, AL 36108 334-262-9005 Jim Massey’s Cleaners & Formals Jim Massey 561 McQueen Smith Road, South Prattville, AL 36066 334-365-6717

Aerotek, Inc. Matt Johnson 400 Interstate Park Drive, Suite 405 Montgomery, AL 36109 334-409-2700

Fencing-Invisible DogWatch of Mid-Alabama Tim Gourlay P.O. Box 242396 Montgomery, AL 36124 334-356-8605

Financial Services The Rainmaker Academy Scott Bradbary 624 Grassmere Park Drive, Suite 15 Nashville, TN 37211 888-797-7246

Fitness Training CrossFit Genius Tony Young 853 Lagoon Business Loop Montgomery, AL 36117 334-625-9124

Foods-Specialized Berdeaux’s Vintage Sauces, LLC Jim Berdeaux 205 Willow Springs Road Wetumpka, AL 36093 334-538-3792 The Vintage Olive Ed Gannon 8101-B Vaughn Road Montgomery, AL 36116 334-260-3700


Furniture Granville Home Furnishings Craig O. Vinson 3490 Wetumpka Highway Montgomery, AL 36110 334-279-3101

Government Agency City of Greenville Dexter McLendon 119 East Commerce Street Greenville, AL 36037-2209 334-382-2647

Government Municipality Town of Pike Road Gordon Stone 4902 Pike Road Pike Road, AL 36064 334-272-9883

Government Rel/ Lobbying Christie Strategy Group, Inc. Martin W. Christie 400 South Union Street, Suite 477 Montgomery, AL 36104 334-264-0508

Home Health Services Right At HomeMontgomery Metro Jeff Ezell 4110-C Wall Street Montgomery, AL 36106 334-517-1045

Hospitals/Clinics Jackson Sleep Disorders Center Angela B. Dansby, RPSGT 1722 Pine Street, Suite 900 Montgomery, AL 36106 334-264-0222

Individuals Sam Chambers 7460 Halcyon Pointe Drive, Suite 301 Montgomery, AL 36117 334-213-4200 The Honorable Greg Wren 4213 Carmichael Road Montgomery, AL 36106 334-396-4787 The Honorable Young J. Boozer, III, , ALabama State Treasurer 31336 Jamestown Drive Montgomery, AL 36111 334-265-0126

Information Technology Firms ERP International, LLC Melvin Petty 60 Commerce Street, Suite 1500, Montgomery AL 36104 334-356-7740

Insurance Companies/Services Craig Coppock Craig Coppock 7742 Atlanta Highway Montgomery, AL 36117 334-593-6017 Penn Insurance Agency Raquel J. Penn 510 Cotton Gin Road Montgomery, AL 36117 334-309-6314 State Farm Insurance, Henry Hernandez Agency Henry Hernandez 4017 Troy Highway Montgomery, AL 36116 334-288-3227

Investigation Services City Wide Investigators Angela Hooper 3825 Lower Wetumpka Road Montgomery, AL 36110 334-263-5722

Investment Bankers Thornton Farish Inc. Scott Bamman 3500 Eastern Boulevard, Suite 210 Montgomery, AL 36116 334-270-8555

Legal Services Attorneys Bond, Botes, Shin & Donaldson, P.C. Gail Donaldson 311 Catoma Street Montgomery, AL 36104 334-264-3363 Greg A. Carr, Sr. Attorney at Law Gregory A. Carr P.O. Box 4807 Montgomery, AL 36103-4807 334-269-5900

Janie S. Gilliland, Attorney at Law Janie Gilliland 4001 Carmichael Road, Suite 300 Montgomery, AL 36106 334-215-8585 Joe M. Reed & Associates Joe M. Reed 524 South Union Street Montgomery, AL 36104 334-834-2000

Office Equipment/ Supplies Oce’ Montgomery Office Equipment Company William Brooks 380 Arba Street Montgomery, AL 36104 334-265-9578

Oil Products Tom Jones Inc. Lisa Savage P.O. Box 1806 Montgomery, AL 36102 334-263-6681

Law Office of George Walthall, Jr. George P. Walthall 141 West Main Street Prattville, AL 36067-3033 334-365-2255 Ext 209 Parnell & Crum Charles N. Parnell P.O. Box 2189 Montgomery, AL 36102-2189 334-832-4200 Regina B. Edwards, PC, Law Firm Regina Edwards 109 E. Bridge Street Wetumpka, AL 36092 334-514-1011 The Hamilton Law Firm Lee Hamilton 8244 Old Federal Road Montgomery, AL 36117 334-396-5719

Paint & Painting Supplies Sherwin Williams #2064 Chris Roney 136 Coliseum Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36109 334-272-2662 Sherwin Williams #2318 Brian Henry 3800 Eastdale Circle Montgomery, AL 36117 334-277-4074 Sherwin Williams #2553 Ty Simmons 3705 Malcolm Drive Montgomery, AL 36116 334-272-8181

The Law Office of Kim Oliver Ward Kim Oliver-Ward 300 Water Street, Suite 306 Montgomery, AL 36104 334-230-9655

Party Services Carter Symone Premier Parties For Girls, LLC Mia Mothershed 2856 Zelda Road Montgomery, AL 36106 334-0754

W. Kendrick James Attorney at Law W. Kendrick James 127 Cambridge Court Wetumpka, AL 36093 334-567-8787

Pawn Shop

Marketing/ Marketing Research Progressive Image Communications, Inc. William D. McGough P.O. Box 241625 Montgomery, AL 36124 334-224-1878

Magic Pawn Mickey Phillips 1120 Adams Avenue Montgomery, AL 36104 334-356-6699

Pest Control

Medical Equipment/ Supplies Montgomery Medical Supply Mike Waites 1500 West Street Montgomery, AL 36107 334-834-5977

Extermitech Pest Control, LLC Ashley Williams 8949 Wares Ferry Road Montgomery, AL 36117 334-265-9990

(continued on page 44)

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

43


New Members (continued from page 43) Photographers Grace Photography Grace O’Connor 509 Cloverdale Road, Suite 101 Montgomery, AL 36106 334-538-0516

Physicians-Podiatry Vaughn Podiatry Center P.C. Hadryan H. Vaughn 4709 Woodmere Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36106 334-277-3338

PhysiciansSpecialized Montgomery Breast Center Tina Hodge 4145 Carmichael Road Montgomery, AL 36106 334-387-1120

Printers/Copy Centers OptiPrint, Inc. Aaron Carr 8161 Vaughn Road Montgomery, AL 36116 334-396-4680

Publishing Companies Image Publishing, Inc. Gigi Phillips P.O. Box 71614 Memphis, TN 38111-0614 901-870-2435

Commercial Property Directory/ Litho Publishing Company Jim Andrews P.O. Box 530892 Birmingham, AL 35253 205-910-1282

Restaurants Village Kitchen Tiffany Bell 503 Cloverdale Road Montgomery, AL 36106 334-356-3814

Restaurants-Bar/Grill Pine Bar Morgan Bell 501 Cloverdale Road Montgomery, AL 36106 334-239-9061 Ruddle’s Pub Ronnie Waters 3133 Bell Road Montgomery, AL 36117 334-277-8710

RestaurantsFast Food Burger King Corporate Office Patrick Sidhu 5529 Carmichael Road Montgomery, AL 36117 502-299-1824

Real Estate Sales and Development

Burger King Patrick Sidhu 1621 Carter Hill Road Montgomery, AL 36106 334-265-7944

Five Star Consortium, LLC Mike Ingersoll P.O. Box 1047 Phenix City, AL 36868 706-718-1015

Burger King Patrick Sidhu 5525 Carmichael Road Montgomery, AL 36117 334-279-9103

Real Estate-Agents

Burger King Patrick Sidhu 601 Madison Avenue Montgomery, AL 36104 334-263-9973

Bell & Corwin, Inc. Morgan Bell P.O. Box 11731 Montgomery, AL 36111-1731 334-279-0220

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Real EstateCommercial/ Investments

Chick-fil-A David Adger 201 Monroe Street, Suite 162 Montgomery, AL 36104 334-293-4773

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011

Restaurants-Ice Cream/Frozen Yogurt

Tire Dealers & Distributors

32 Degrees A Yogurt Bar Jeff Pizitz 7030 EastChase Parkway, Suite C-120 Montgomery, AL 36117 334-272-4773

Best Buy Automotive & Tires Bobby Jones 3835 Atlanta Highway Montgomery, AL 36109 334-244-8083

Restaurants-Local Favorites Isaiah’s Restaurant/ Butterfly Inn Isaiah Sankey 135 Mildred Street Montgomery, AL 36104 334-265-9000

RestaurantsSouthern Fried Tomato Buffet Shin Jeong 6050 Atlanta Highway Montgomery, AL 36117 334-244-6162 Martin’s Restaurant Mary Anne Merritt 1796 Carter Hill Road Montgomery, AL 36106 334-265-1767

Roofing Companies Montgomery Roofing Group, Inc. John S. Till 1849 Upper Wetumpka Road Montgomery, AL 36107 334-262-1013

Signs Fravert Services, Inc. Craig Fravert 133 West Park Drive Birmingham, AL 35211 334-264-0267

Sports-Amateur Montgomery Metro Baseball League Charlie Dees 6000 E Shirley Lane Montgomery, AL 36117 334-271-2010

Transformer Manufacturing Hyundai Power Transformers USA G.C. Lee 600 South Court Street, Suite 316 Montgomery, AL 36104 334-230-9921

Transportation Equipment-Mfr. Kelly Aerospace Power Systems Tyson Taylor P.O. Box 273 Ft. Deposit, AL 36032 334-227-8306

Travel Agencies/ Services Carol’s Excursions Carol Bridgers 9109 Castle Pines Circle Montgomery, AL 36117 334-215-0345

Uniform Supply Service Cintas Corporation Distribution Center Jason Adcock 2767 Gunter Park Drive Montgomery, AL 36109 334-409-9227

X-Ray-imaging Healthscan Imaging, LLC Brian Welch 4135 Atlanta Highway Montgomery, AL 36109 334-819-8702


Members on the Move ADVERTISER MEDIA GROUP ADDS FOUR EXECUTIVES

Karen Walker

Jim Zajas

Barry Whitman

MONTGOMERY - The Advertiser Media Group has hired four executives. The company recently hired three department heads: Karen Walker, director of sales and marketing; Jim Zajas, director of operations; and Barry Whitman, director of circulation. Carla D’Andrea has been named the classified sales manag¬er. Advertiser Media Group President and Publisher Samuel P. Martin praised the four new executives, saying they will be assets to Montgomery and the River Region.

Walker, who has a bachelor’s degree Carla D’Andrea in broadcasting from the University of Flori¬da, was most recently chief consultant for Walker Sales & Marketing Consult¬ing in Atlanta. She also worked in advertising sales and management for two newspapers - Austin American Statesman in Tex¬as and Atlanta Journal-Constitution. “She brings a broader view of how all of our prop¬erties can come together,” Martin told the Montgomery Advertiser, the primary property of the Advertiser Media Group. “She will make sure we use all of our properties to fill the needs of our advertis¬ers in this community.” Zajas worked in the printing and production departments in Detroit and Fort Myers, Fla. He attended Hen¬ry Ford Community College in Michigan.

Whitman has worked at several newspapers in the circulation department, including Greenville, S.C.; Louisville, Ky.; and Sioux Falls, S.D. D’Andrea, who attended Sinclair Community College and Miami-Jacob Junior College in Dayton, Ohio, has worked in advertising sales at several newspapers including Dayton, Ohio; Austin, Texas; and Waco, Texas. COPPERWING DESIGN NAMES ACCOUNT DIRECTOR, HIRES PROJECT COORDINATOR Brian Key

MONTGOMERY - Copperwing Design has announced the promotion of Brian Key to account director and hired Brett Downs as project coordinator.

Key’s responsibilities include leading the management of the firm’s accounts and building new client relationships. He will also direct all marketing and public relations initiatives to meet client goals. Brett Downs

Copperwing appointed Key to his new position in November. Since joining Copperwing in 2008 as account executive, Key has helped establish and manage relationships with a number of regional and international clients, including Schreiber Water, Headworks, Montgomery Cancer Center and its subsidiaries. Key has a master’s degree in public administration from Auburn University at Montgomery and a bachelor’s degree in advertising and journalism from Troy University. Downs will assist Key in planning and managing a wide variety of projects for clients across all media, from print and broadcast to corporate video and interactive.

professional in sports management and marketing, both as the marketing coordinator for the Montgomery Biscuits baseball team and most recently for the Tulsa Drillers ballclub in Oklahoma. He also served as marketing and public relations assistant at Baptist Health, writing feature stories for the organization and creating brochures and other communications for the company’s three hospitals in the River Region. He is a 2008 graduate of Auburn University at Montgomery with a degree in communication and dramatic arts. Copperwing is a creative consultancy offering design, digital media and integrated brand management services. FRAVERT SERVICES ANNOUNCES HIRE MONTGOMERYFravert Services announced the addition of Chris Bryan to its commercial Chris Bryan and architectural signage division in Montgomery. He brings more than six years of experience in architectural signage and more than two decades involvement in commercial real estate development and construction project management. Bryan, who has a bachelor’s degree from the University of Alabama, has recently worked on signage packages for Montgomery Regional Airport, Alabama State University, The Davis Theatre and the Retirement Systems of Alabama. Fravert Services is one of Alabama’s oldest privately held signage firms, specializing in the fabrication and installation of architectural interior and exterior signage as well as indoor and outdoor lighting services. The company has offices in Birmingham and Montgomery. •

Downs previously served as a communications and public relations

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

45


RIBBON CUTTINGS & GROUND BREAKINGS

HERE WE GROW AGAIN

Allen Law Center Thomas Goode Jones School of Law Faulkner University Named in Honor of J. Greg Allen www.faulkner.edu Colleges & Universities

Vaughn Road Garden Center 9350 Vaughn Road, Pike Road, AL 36064 334-272-8180 www.vaughnroadgardencenter.com Janine Koslofsky-Owner/Partner Lawn & Garden Care

Daily Deal Squad P.O. Box 11762, Montgomery, AL 36111 334-782-0555 www.dailydealsquad.com/montgomery Paul Klein-Owner Advertising

Stifel Nicolaus

al.com

Wells Fargo Bank

Wells Fargo Bank

Wells Fargo Bank

Vickers & Smith Brick Cleaning Services

The Vintage Olive

Wells Fargo Bank

Civil Air Patrol

7460 Halcyon Pointe, Suite 100, Montgomery, AL 36117 334-213-1600 www.stifel.com Sheree Luker-Sharp-Branch Manager Investment Securities

Zelda Road Branch 2773 Zelda Road, Montgomery, AL 36106 334-309-1260 www.wellsfargo.com Rahsaan Jones-Store Manager Banks

8101-B Vaughn Road, Montgomery, AL 36116 334-260-3700 www.thevintageolive.com Carly & Ed Gannon-Proprietors Foods-Specialized

46

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011

2901 2nd Avenue South, Suite 260, Birmingham, AL 35233 205-380-2430 www.al.com Cindy Martin-President Media Company

Eastern Bypass Branch 2520 Eastern Bypass, Montgomery, AL 36117 334-309-3020 www.wellsfargo.com Chris McPherson-Store Manager Banks

EastChase Branch 7315 EastChase Parkway, Montgomery, AL 36117 334-271-3662 www.wellsfargo.com Thomas Gilliland-Store Manager Banks

McGehee Road Branch 3015 McGehee Road, Montgomery, AL 36111 334-309-3040 www.wellsfargo.com Kari Keenan-Store Manager Banks

3213 Capwood Curve, Montgomery, AL 36116 334-309-7355 http://vickerssmithbricks.webs.com Sara Smith-Owner Contractors

105 South Hansell Street, Bldg #714 Maxwell AFB, AL 36112 334-834-2236 www.gocivilairpatrol.com Associations/Non-Profit


Economic Intel

Unemployment Rates Civilian Labor Force AREA Montgomery MA

Unemployment Rate

OCTOBER P 2010

SEPTEMBER R 2010

OCTOBER R 2009

OCTOBER P 2010

SEPTEMBER R 2010

OCTOBER R 2009

168,450

167,685

165,023

9.00%

9.00%

10.10%

Autauga County

24,080

24,056

23,633

8.00%

8.30%

9.20%

Prattville City

15,686

15,644

15,279

6.90%

7.00%

7.40%

Elmore County

35,408

35,258

34,591

8.20%

8.20%

9.00%

Lowndes County

4,794

4,769

4,789

14.70%

14.60%

17.40%

Montgomery County

104,169

103,602

102,011

9.30%

9.20%

10.30%

Montgomery City

94,013

93,523

92,254

9.00%

8.90%

10.30%

Birmingham-Hoover MA

516,560

513,683

505,739

8.70%

8.80%

10.00%

Birmingham City

26,837

96,155

26,070

8.90%

11.20%

10.40%

Huntsville MA

210,249

209,388

201,349

7.20%

7.20%

7.90%

Huntsville City

93,278

92,947

89,039

7.10%

7.20%

7.60%

Mobile MA

184,103

183,605

179,959

10.00%

10.00%

11.20%

Mobile City Alabama United States

85,853

85,424

84,034

10.30%

10.00%

11.60%

2,140,112

2,133,800

2,087,544

9.10%

9.10%

10.70%

153,652,000

153,854,000

153,635,000

9.00%

9.20%

9.50%

MA=Metropolitan Area. P - Preliminary R Revised Estimates prepared by the Alabama Department of Industrial Relations in Cooperation with the Bureau of Labor Statistics, based on 2009 benchmark.

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

47


Montgomery Metro Market Home Sales OCT 2010

SEP 2010

MONTH/MONTH % CHANGE

OCT 2009

YEAR/YEAR % CHANGE

STATEWIDE OCT 2010

Median Price

$119,750

$139,500

-14.16%

$125,250

-4.39%

$127,401

Average Price

$139,698

$149,152

-6.34%

$139,232

0.33%

$144,193

3,185

3,269

-2.57%

3,085

3.24%

39,920

Units Listed Months of Supply

16

15

6.67%

9

77.78%

16

Total # Sales

200

220

-9.09%

352

-43.18%

2,467

Days on Market

102

96

6.25%

90

13.33%

145

Source: Alabama Center for Real Estate (ACRE), The University of Alabama

Montogmery Building Starts Building Permits

Building Valuations

OCT 2010

SEP 2010

OCT 2009

OCT 2010

SEP 2010

OCT 2009

New Construction

23

21

18

$17,311,600

$2,042,800

$4,443,000

Additions and AlterationsÂ

90

73

76

$3,317,308

$10,252,400

$2,759,000

Others

33

30

71

$253,400

$207,800

$2,638,600

Total

146

124

165

$20,882,308

$12,503,000

$9,840,600

Source: City of Montgomery Building Department

Montgomery Regional Airport NOV 2010

NOV 2009

YEAR OVER YEAR % CHANGE

YTD 2010

YTD 2009

YEAR OVER YEAR % CHANGE

987

1,042

-5.3%

11,601

10,738

8.0%

Air Carrier Operations Total Operations

4,869

5,996

-18.8%

63,963

63,233

1.2%

Enplanements

15,632

14,383

8.7%

172,752

146,276

18.1%

Deplanements

15,394

14,750

4.4%

171,833

147,749

16.3%

Total Passengers

31,026

29,133

6.5%

344,585

294,025

17.2%

Source: Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM) Dannelly Field

Sales Tax Collections NOV 2010

NOV 2009

YEAR OVER YEAR % CHANGE

YTD 2010

YTD 2009

YEAR OVER YEAR % CHANGE

Montgomery County

$2,940,315

$2,850,713

3.14%

$31,526,064

$37,403,916

-15.71%

City of Montgomery

$6,658,859

$6,331,035

5.18%

$79,655,789

$83,181,972

-4.24%

Pike Road

$153,699

$147,874

3.94%

$1,914,153

$1,435,864

33.31%

Autauga County

$541,994

$546,179

-0.77%

$6,439,264

$6,439,497

0.00%

$1,063,723

$1,046,802

1.62%

$12,855,303

$13,318,858

-3.48%

$420,101

1.87%

$4,937,315

$5,404,427

-8.64%

Prattville Elmore County Wetumpka Millbrook

* $427,943 *

Sources: Montgomery County Commission, City of Montgomery, City of Pike Road, Autauga County Commission, City of Prattville, Elmore County Commission, City of Wetumpka, City of Millbrook. Note: YTD numbers are January 2010 thru current month. * Did not receive this months numbers.

48

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011


National Retail Sales

Airline Fares Roundtrip airfare comparisons from Montgomery, Birmingham and Atlanta airports to key destinations. DESTINATION

MONTGOMERY

BIRMINGHAM

$183

$178

$123

Boston (BOS)

$212

$212

$168

Charlotte, NC (CLT)

$108

$108

$108

Chicago (ORD)

$213

$180

$153

Cincinnati (CVG)

$252

$190

$163

Dallas/Ft Worth (DFW)

$250

$178

$193

Denver (DEN)

$286

$216

$228

Detroit (DTW)

$213

$266

$128

Houston (HOU)

$333

$270

$173

Indianapolis (IND)

$193

$188

$133

Las Vegas (LAS)

$323

$278

$273

Los Angeles (LAX)

$311

$254

$261

Memphis (MEM)

$329

$310

$113

Miami (MIA)

$251

$210

$138

Nashville (BNA)

$218

$118

$281

New Orleans (MSY)

$278

$118

$141

New York (JFK)

$250

$244

$198

Orlando (MCO)

$198

$180

$138

Philadelphia (PHL)

$262

$262

$143

Pittsburgh (PIT)

$213

$203

$118

St Louis (STL)

$203

$138

$148

Seattle (SEA)

$330

$294

$243

Seoul, Korea (SEL)

July Wal-Mart

$1,246

$1,064

$1,085

Tampa (TPA)

$251

$178

$108

Washington DC (DCA)

$233

$190

$158

Target Sears Sam’s Club Costco Family Dollar Dollar General Best Buy Circuit City

Home Depot Lowe’s JCPenney Kohl’s Gap CVS

Date of travel: Jan. 18-23, 2011. Date of pricing: Dec. 5, 2010. Source: travelocity.com

Rite Aid

Hyundai Sales

Walgreens

VEHICLE

NOV 2010

NOV 2009

YTD 2010

YTD 2009

Accent

4,052

3,831

49,191

63,937

Sonata

14,031

8,178

180,659

109,543

Elantra

8,631

6,127

119,150

97,506

Tiburon

0

1

0

8,580

Santa Fe

6,967

6,564

71,396

71,079

Azera

248

248

2,889

3,478

3,042

888

35,553

14,508

Entourage

0

2

0

3,422

Veracruz

747

459

7,889

9,679

Genesys

3,005

1,751

26,699

19,535

Total

40,723

28,045

493,426

401,267

Tucson

Source: Hyundai Motor America

2010

AutoZone

August -1.5%

2010

+2.0%

+1.8%

+1.3%

2009

-6.5%

-2.9%

-1.7%

2010

-2.2%

2009

-8.6%

2010

+1.0%

2009

+0.6%

2010

+3%

+5%

+2%

2009

-2%

+0%

+3%

2010

+6.1%

2009

+1.0%

2010

+5.1%

2009

+8.6%

2010

-0.1%

2009

-3.9%

2009 2008

-14.4%

2007

-8.0%

2010

+1.0%

2009

-8.5%

2010

+1.6%

2009

-9.5%

2010

-0.6%

+2.3%

+5.1%

2009

-12.3%

-7.9%

-1.4%

2010

+4.6%

+4.5%

+3.0%

2009

+0.4%

+0.2%

+5.5%

2010

-6%

-1%

-1.0%

2009

-9%

-7%

-8%

2010

+2.1%

2009

+6.1%

2010

-1.1%

-1.0%

-0.9%

2009

-0.6%

-1.9%

+0.3%

2010

+0.4%

+2.1%

+1.5%

2009

+2.0%

+1.9%

+2.4%

2010

+6.7%

2009 Advance Auto Parts McDonald’s Burger King Wendy’s Arby’s

September

-1.8%

2009

ATLANTA

Baltimore (BWI)

(Monthly and Quarterly)

+5.4%

2010

+5.8%

2009

+4.8%

2010

+5.7%

2009

+2.6%

+4.6% +1.7%

2010

-1.5%

2009

-4.5%

2010

-1.7%

2009

-0.4%

2010

-7.4%

2009

-6.9%

U.S. same store sales compiled from 10-Q and 10-K forms (excluding fuel sales) Source: RetailerDaily.com

January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

49


Quarterly Reports NAME CSX Corp. ServisFirst Bancshares Domino’s Pizza

QUARTERLY REVENUES

NET INCOME

EARNINGS PER SHARE

EARNINGS ESTIMATE

YEAR-AGO REVENUES

YEAR-AGO NET INCOME

$2.7B

$414M

$1.08

$1.04

$2.2B

$290M

Automotive shipments rose 44%

N/A

$4.8M

$0.87

N/A

N/A

$1.6M

Profit soared 198%

$347.4M

$16.6M

$0.27

$0.25

$302.7M

$17.8M

Revenue increased 15% Profit up 19%

Wells Fargo

N/A

$3.2B

$0.60

$0.55

N/A

$2.6B

Sonic Corp.

$155.1M

$4.7M

$0.08

$0.23

$171.8M

$16.9M

McDonald’s

$6.3B

$1.4B

$1.29

$1.25

$6B

$1.3B

Same-store sales in Asia, Middle East and Africa rose 8.1%

AT&T

$31.6B

$12.3B

$2.08

N/A

$30.7B

$3.2B

Activated 5.2 million iPhones

BB&T

N/A

$210M

$0.30

$0.26

N/A

$152M

Profit increased 38%

MetLife

$12.4B

$286M

$0.32

N/A

$10.2B

(-$650M)

CVS Caremark

$23.9B

$809M

$0.59

$0.65

$24.6B

$1B

Starbucks

$2.8B

$278.9M

$0.37

$0.32

$2.4B

$150M

Profit nearly doubled Profit declined 20%

Profit declined nearly 75%

U.S. variable annuity sales up 25% to $5B Pharmacy services revenue fell 8.5% to $11.9B

hhgregg

$481.1M

$3.9M

$0.10

$0.16

$332.2M

$4.9M

O’Charley’s

$191.7M

(-$7.4M)

(-$0.35)

N/A

N/A

(-$2.1M)

Results included charge of $5M

Lowe’s

$11.6B

$404M

$0.29

$0.30

$11.4B

$344M

Profit rose 17%

Wal-Mart

$101.2B

$3.4B

$0.95

$0.90

$98.7B

$3.2B

Sales at U.S. stores opened at least a year fell 1.3%

$5.5B

$372.3M

$0.92

N/A

$5.2B

$347.8M

Sales up 5%

$885.8M

$50M

$0.56

$0.51

$753.7M

$38.8M

Profit climbed 29%

$16.6B

$834M

$0.51

$0.48

$16.4B

$689M

Profit jumped 21%

Dick’s Sporting Goods

$1.1B

$16.9M

$0.14

N/A

$990M

$18.9M

Sales rose 9%

Dillard’s

$1.4B

$14.4M

$0.22

N/A

$1.4B

$8M

Profit soared 80%

J.C. Penney’s

$4.2B

$44M

$0.19

$0.17

$4.1B

$27M

Profit increased 63%

Cracker Barrel

$598.7M

$23.7M

$1.01

$0.91

$581.2M

$18M

Comparable restaurant sales up 2.4%

Pacific Sunwear

$257.9M

(-$7M)

(-$0.11)

(-$0.10)

$268.3M

(-$10.9M)

Hibbett Sports

$167.4M

$12.6M

$0.44

$0.38

$145.9M

$8.8M

Profit jumped 43%

$3.7B

$303M

$0.48

$0.48

$3.6B

$307M

Opened 25 stores and closed 19 stores during the quarter

$505.3M

$24.2M

$0.41

$0.34

$462.4M

$2.1M

AnnTaylor brand store sales up 21.9% Comparable store sales fell 2.4%

TJX Cos. (T.J. Maxx) Abercrombie & Fitch Home Depot

Gap (Banana Republic, Old Navy) AnnTaylor Stores Kirkland’s

Revenue dropped 4%

$92.7M

$2.3M

$0.11

$0.12

$92.4M

$5.8M

Sears Holdings

$9.7B

(-$218M)

(-$1.98)

(-$1.08)

$10.2B

(-$127M)

Foot Locker

$1.3B

$52M

$0.33

$0.17

$1.2B

(-$6M)

Revenue at stores opened at least a year increased 8.1% Revenue up 6.7%

Shoe Carnival

Loss nearly doubled

$204.4M

$9.1M

$0.70

$0.65

$191.5M

$7.5M

GameStop

$1.9B

$54.7M

$0.36

$0.37

$1.8B

$52.2M

Sales of new game software rose 9%

The Buckle

$243.3M

$34.4M

$0.73

$0.69

$231.2M

$33.3M

Announced one-time dividend of $2.50 a share

SteinMart

$267.9M

$4.3M

$0.10

$0.03

$270.2M

$3.2M

Cut selling and general administrative costs 26.2% to $70.2M

$816M

$36.5M

$0.34

$0.31

$729M

$7.3M

Repurchased 1.25M shares of stock

$751.5M

$33M

$0.17

$0.29

$736M

$59.2M

Reported charges related to liquidating part of investment portfolio

PetSmart

$1.4B

$45.6M

$0.38

$0.38

$1.3B

$38.1M

Profit increased 23%

Dollar Tree

$1.4B

$93.2M

$0.73

$0.62

$1.2B

$68.2M

Profit surged 37%

$2B

$61.3M

$0.18

$0.17

$1.8B

$14.9M

Declared $3 a share dividend

$483M

$28.8M

$0.16

$0.15

$446.9M

$22.7M

Revenue rose 8.1%

$1.1B

$17.7M

$0.23

$0.24

$1B

$30.3M

Profit plunged 42%

$232.4M

(-$10.9M)

(-$0.12)

(-$0.17)

$266.7M

(-$34M)

Revenue declined 12.8%

Williams-Sonoma (Pottery Barn)

American Eagle Outfitters

Limited Brands (Victoria’s Secret, Bath & Body Works)

Chico’s FAS Big Lots Coldwater Creek Jo-Ann Stores

$535.1M

$29.1M

$0.90

$1.08

$509.1M

$24.1M

Bought back 913,000 shares of stock

Aeropostale

$602.8M

$58.5M

$0.63

$0.66

$567.8M

$62.6M

Co-CEO resigned

Source: PR Newswire and Yahoo! Finance

50

NOTABLE

Montgomery Business Journal January 2011


January 2011 Montgomery Business Journal

51


Post Office Box 79 Montgomery, AL 36101


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