Montgomery Business Journal – March 2012 by Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce

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Contents

6 Calendar 8

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby talks about protecting Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex

Q&A details the dos and don’ts of E-Verify

Alabama’s economy poised for rebound

Investor Profile: Alabama Power shines during a crisis

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange and Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton N. Dean deliver annual updates

SCORE offers free, expert advice

Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce helps transform the community

Member Profile: Health Services Inc. is on the front line of providing comprehensive health care

The City of Montgomery’s Development division has big plans for 2012

Business Buzz

Members on the Move

Ribbon Cuttings and Ground Breakings

New Members

Economic Intel

8 55

10 44 March 2012 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 Editorial assistanT

LaShanda Gaines Design

Copperwing Design Photographer

Robert Fouts On the cover:

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Horace Horn (left) is chairman elect of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Joe Hampton (middle), Arthur DuCote (right) and Leslie Sanders are all vice chairmen. Cover photo by David Robertson. 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/August 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 4, Issue 3.

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

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.

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Calendar Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Events

MARCH

APRIL

BUSINESS PLANNING SEMINAR 4 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery $10 at the door, Registration not required

60 MINUTE COFFEE Sponsored by Fortis College 8 AM @ Fortis College 3470 Eastdale Circle, Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members

BUSINESS PLANNING SEMINAR 4 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery $10 at the door, Registration not required

CHAMBER OPEN Presenting Sponsor: Jim Wilson & Associates, LLC @ Wynlakes Golf & Country Club Morning Flight: 7 AM Afternoon Flight: 11:30 AM 7900 Wynlakes Boulevard, Montgomery Chamber Member: $155, Nonmember: $175 Registration: www. montgomerychamber.com/open

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Sponsored by Virginia College 5 PM @ Virginia College 6200 Atlanta Highway, Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members

60 MINUTE COFFEE Sponsored by Capitol Hill Healthcare & Rehab First 8 AM @ Capitol Hill Healthcare & Rehab First 520 Hull Street, Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members

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

March 3/5-3/7

Alabama State University National HBCU Conference

3/6-3/9

Alabama Community Education Conference

3/11-3/14

Alabama Rural Water Association Conference

3/25-3/28

Alabama Probate Judges Association Conference

April

4/9-4/13

Alabama Rural Electric Association Annual Meeting

4/14-4/23

Alabama Pre K Conference

4/21-4/25

Alabama Association of Student Council Spring Conference

4/23-4/26

Association of State and Territorial Solid Waste Mid-Year Meeting

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

SMALL BUSINESS LOAN CLINIC Noon @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery Free event

BUSINESS PLANNING SEMINAR 4 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery $10 at the door, Registration not required

BUSINESS AFTER HOURS Sponsored by Marquirette’s Exquisite Jewelry 5 PM @ Marquirette’s Exquisite Jewelry 7818 Vaughn Road, Montgomery Free event, exclusively for Chamber Members

BUSINESS TAXATION WORKSHOP Two Sessions: 3 PM & 6 PM @ Small Business Resource Center 600 South Court Street, Montgomery Free event, open to the public MINORITY BUSINESS PARTNERSHIP MIXER 5 PM @ Union Station 300 Water Street, Montgomery Registration: www.montgomerychamber.com/mixer

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March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

Chamber News

Eggs and Issues Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex will likely avoid budget cuts, Shelby says by David Zaslawsky

U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby has been a longtime champion of the military and in the past 10 years, has channeled more than $200 million for such projects in Montgomery.

been the chairman. He said that executives from small- and medium-sized banks have been complaining about being treated the same as the much larger banks. Shelby said it’s “wrong” to do that.

That $200 million has funded projects at Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex as well as the Alabama Air National Guard at Dannelly Field.

“Most of the small- and medium-sized banks are in pretty good shape,” Shelby said, “but some of our biggest ones are still in trouble.” He said that regulators have been overly strict on loans. “We’ve tried to weigh in on that,” he said.

The state’s senior senator reassured business and political leaders that despite proposed $500 billion in defense spending cuts over the next 10 years, that Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex should be safe from budget reductions. That drew applause from the crowd at the RSA Activity Center. Shelby, R-Alabama, said he is concerned about downsizing the military. “The Cold War is over, but threats are still here,” he said. He expects China to build a navy during the next 10 to 15 years; develop an up-to-date air force; and modernize its army and nuclear weapons systems. “China is going to be our biggest opportunity; our biggest challenge; our biggest trading partner,” said Shelby, who was first elected to the Senate in 1986. He said he understands the budget constraints and the question of defense spending. “We’ve got to put everything on the table and we ought to do it right,” Shelby said. “What is important to the security of this nation? What is going on the cutting edge of technology? What do we really need to (deal) with threats in the future? There’s always redundancy and waste.” Shelby, who spoke at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce’s monthly Eggs & Issues breakfast, is the ranking member on the Senate banking committee and has 8

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

He recalled annual reports about the state of the banking system and was always told “it’s in good shape right up to the debacle.” Shelby now hopes that regulators have learned their lessons, but warned about the dangers of being overzealous. “We don’t want them (regulators) to do an overkill because with that we kill your economy,” he said. “That will kill job growth, especially with small- and medium-sized businesses, which is the engine of growth in this country.” On other topics, Shelby said: “I hope we are on a trajectory of economic recovery, but I’m not sure and I think a lot of our economists are not sure.” Europe’s struggling economy will impact the U.S. It’s going to take some time for an “overexuberant housing market” to return to normal. It’s likely that a two-year transportation bill will be passed, although he prefers a fiveyear bill. The Federal Reserve needs to be more responsive and transparent.

“We’ve got to put everything on the table and we ought to do it right.” U.S. Sen. Richard Shelby

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March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

E-verify: What business owners should do – and not do Q&A with Greg Fields and Ashley D. Aaron

Greg Fields is president of Charter HR and Ashley D. Aaron is senior vice president and agency director. They were recently interviewed by Montgomery Business Journal Managing Editor David Zaslawsky

MBJ: Your company is handling all the HR aspects.

Montgomery Business Journal: What is Charter HR?

Fields: We have 35, 36 internally. They work in our home office.

Fields: We are what’s known as a PEO – professional employer organization. We are based out of Alexander City, Alabama. In 2011, we printed a little over 15,000 W-2s.

MBJ: Let’s talk about E-Verifying. First, explain what E-Verifying is.

Fouts Commercial Photography

MBJ: What is a PEO?

Greg Fields (right) is president of Charter HR and Ashley D. Aaron is senior vice president and agency director.

Fields: We become co-employers. When we enter into a contract with a client company and let’s say the company has 30 employees and it’s ABC Distributing. Charter HR and ABC Distributing enter into an agreement that those employees are co-employed by Charter HR and ABC Distributing. We, Charter HR become the employer of record in the eyes of the federal government for payroll, payroll taxes, workers’ comp benefit – all those sorts of things.

Fields: It’s HR outsourcing. MBJ: How many employees do you have?

Fields: It’s a new federal program that authorizes employees to be eligible for work in the United States of America. What we have always had in the past is the I-9 form. The I-9 form verifies that you are eligible to work in the U.S. This (E-Verify) goes a step further. MBJ: How? Fields: It takes information from the I-9 form and it matches it up with the Social Security Administration’s information and the Department of Homeland Security’s information. It comes back and says that this employee is eligible for work because they match (information). MBJ: The new process checks to see if somebody is on a list. Are they checking with the Social Security Administration to make sure a person’s card is valid? Fields: Multiple reasons, but that is the main reason. We may have an employee who works in Alabama and have another employee in Kentucky and one of those employees may have fake documentation. One may have a fake Social Security card or any other type of fake documentation. What happens is that

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

employee works all year long under your Social Security number so at the end of the year the IRS gets those wages turned in under your Social Security number. You are in turn (responsible) for the taxes on those wages. MBJ: One of the key aspects of E-Verify is eliminating fraud. Fields: That’s correct. It’s immigration and fraud. Aaron: Most employers aren’t going to be familiar with E-Verify yet, but employers are going to have to use it whether their employees are citizens or non-citizens – if you’re authorized to work in the United States. Fields: For instance, the State of Mississippi has a pilot program. Mississippi and South Carolina are two of the states we’ve been doing business in. They have been doing E-Verify for awhile. Mississippi has attached their driver’s license database to those databases (Social Security Administration and Department of Homeland Security). MBJ: Is that again to guard against fraud and also see if someone is wanted somewhere? Fields: Yes. One of the big things they do is (target) deadbeat dads. Every time a new employee is hired at any location, you have to turn that data into the state. If you have someone who pays child support and they keep changing jobs to get away from paying that child support or garnishment, then that catches up with them. MBJ: Is E-Verify only for new hires? Fields: Right now, it is only for new hires for the majority of employers. You are not allowed to go back and E-Verify your existing employees. Where that changes is if you are a federal contractor then you do have to go back and check all your existing employees. MBJ: With Montgomery being a military town with Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex, a number of business owners are federal contractors and they would be required to E-Verify all their employees? Fields: That’s right and for us we have some clients in South Carolina and other states who are doing federal contracts. They did have to go back and E-Verify all their existing employees. If you are found to be not authorized for work – if you go through the

E-Verify process and you are denied – then you as the employer have the right not to put that person to work. In the State of Alabama, you have to terminate that employee. You may have an employee who has worked for you for 10, 12, 15 years and you have to terminate that employee because they did not E-Verify. MBJ: When does E-Verify take effect in Alabama? Aaron: As of April 1 it will be required by law for all Alabama employers for new hires. MBJ: Are there E-Verify forms? Fields: It’s online. It’s really a simplified process, but it takes some time. MBJ: What is the process? Fields: The first thing you do as a company is you have to fill out a memorandum of understanding that you are entering into the E-Verify program. Then what you do is set up a user name and password for one person at the company or multiple people. When a new hire comes in, they fill out all of their new hire paperwork. One of the big keys to E-Verify is this cannot be done before an employee is hired. It cannot be used in the screening process. Continued on page 12

E-verify: a new federal program that authorizes employees to be eligible for work in the United States of America. March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

“It protects jobs for authorized workers. It also deters any type of documentation fraud because you are cross-referencing with the government database.”

taken care of. That’s called a case. Every time you hire an employee – when you go in and key a new person in – that’s creating a case.

continued from page 11

MBJ: Why not before someone is hired? Fields: If they are not hired and you E-Verify them and they are not authorized then you are not enabling them to come to work. Once you hire an employee, there is a three-day clock that starts ticking. You have to E-Verify the employee from the third day of employment. Aaron: On the I-9 form, the certification section, there is a hire date that is put in. You may say yes I’ll take the job on Aug. 1, but you’re not starting until Sept. 1, so you write Sept. 1 (on the form). Once the employment starts, you have three days to do the E-Verify process. There are several different pieces of data that you pull off of the I-9 and key into the system and you pretty much get an instantaneous answer back. MBJ: What are those answers?

Fields: The answers can be authorized for work. You may get what is called a TNC which is a temporary non-confirmation. There are two of those – one comes from the Social Security Administration and one comes from the Department of Homeland Security. If you get one of those two, you have to print that out and have the employee sign it. The employee has to go to the Social Security Administration – the local office. If it’s Homeland Security, then they have to call the number and Homeland Security will tell them where to go. The employer is not involved in that process. Aaron: It is not the employer’s responsibility to get the information updated. It is solely the responsibility of that employee to get it resolved. MBJ: Does the employee continue to work during this process? Fields: You have to continue working. When you get a TNC the clock that starts ticking and then there is an eight-day window. That employee has eight working days – government working days – to get that TNC

MBJ: Then what? Fields: If they are authorized, you print it and you attach it to the I-9 and you put it in their employee file. And that’s all you have to do for that employee. If you get a TNC, then you still print and get the employee to sign it and attach it. Then the ball is in their court for the next eight (working) days to get that resolved. MBJ: Why are some common reasons for a TNC? Aaron: Simple errors. You could input a wrong Social Security number or a wrong birth date or a maiden name that is missing a hyphen. When an employee gets a TNC, that’s really not a major issue of concern. Most of all TNCs are taken care of. It’s just updating the proper information whether it be with Homeland Security or with the Social Security Administration. MBJ: I read where the E-Verify is a threestep process with the first step being creating a case. The second step is getting results, which is what you are referring to. Fields: That’s correct. MBJ: Is there something other than a TNC? Fields: Yes. You could have an immediate non-authorization. It can be denied immediately and that almost always happens when nothing matches. Typically, you would only get a TNC and the eight-day window starts. The onus on the employer

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

during that period is they have to go back and check because the Social Security Administration or Homeland Security will update that record online. You (employer) will not be receiving a phone call. The employee won’t come back to you. It will come back that it is in process and that it’s been approved or denied. This can be a little confusing, but even if a person gets an immediate authorization you (employer) still have to click a button at the bottom of the screen to close that case. MBJ: That is the third step in the process – closing the case. Fields: If you don’t close that case then it’s still an open case and they are not verified to work. MBJ: You’re saying that everyone must carefully follow each procedure. Aaron: It’s the responsibility of the employer to close that case even though your employee has been verified. Until you close that case, they (employee) are not authorized to work. If they (employees) come back not authorized at that point in time, you have to terminate them.

Fields: The State of Alabama …the first employee that you have that is denied that continues working – the first instance of that – they can pull your business license for 10 days in that location. You cannot get that business license back until you prove that you have E-Verified that employee. On the second time you are caught putting an employee to work who has not been E-Verified, the state can pull your business license forever for that location. The third time, they can pull your business license for eternity for the whole State of Alabama. MBJ: Those are very serious repercussions. Fields: That is one of the only portions of the immigration law that has not been changed at all. When Alabama passed the new immigration law there were a lot of changes and still are a lot fights about it, but not the E-Verification process. MBJ: What are some common misconceptions about E-Verify? Aaron: A lot of people assume that it is a screening process and you are able to screen employees prior to employment, but you

cannot do that. You can only E-Verify after that employee has been hired. Fields: One of the other misconceptions is that it is not just an immigration issue. It also goes after people who are committing different types of fraud – like the Social Security fraud. MBJ: Or someone on a Homeland Security list. Fields: Absolutely. Another aspect is this I-9 form and I’ve been in the industry since 1994. Every company I’ve ever worked for in this industry, we have never placed a person on the payroll until you have a completed I-9 form. I would say the majority of businesses even today still do not fill out an I-9 form or fill it out properly. Every single block of information on this form carries a hefty fine if you don’t fill it out correctly. You have to get one of these (I-9 forms) completed again every three to five years. Aaron: Using E-Verify helps employers maintain a legal work force and eliminates guesswork during the verification process. It protects jobs for authorized workers. It also continued on page 14

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

continued from page 13

deters any type of documentation fraud because you are cross-referencing with the government database. MBJ: How does E-Verify impact businesses? Fields: It really goes back to what type of business you’re in. If you’re in a fast-food restaurant where there is a lot of turnover it is going to take a pretty significant amount of time for that individual to sit down and key all of this in. You have to make sure you trust the person doing the process – that it is being done correctly. They recommend that (employers) go back and audit all of their I-9 forms on their existing employees plus periodically do an audit on their I-9s going forward. If you’re making mistakes on your I-9, you’re going to keep the same incorrect information to the E-Verification system and it’s not going to match up. MBJ: Are there other businesses where the E-Verify process could be burdensome? Fields: Any type of job where there is high turnover this will really hit hard. A lot of the blue-collar manufacturing has high turnover.

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

MBJ: So when Hyundai Power Transformers USA hires an expected 400 people this year, it will take a lot of resources for the E-Verify process? Fields: Exactly. They would have to E-Verify 400 if they are hired after April 1. MBJ: The new law will have a large impact on staffing companies won’t it? Fields: Absolutely. What’s going to happen down the road is the state governments are going to go online with E-Verification with all their birth certificate records. MBJ: You’re saying there will be more databases used? Fields: Exactly. MBJ: How long does the actual process take from opening a case, getting results and then closing a case if there are not any issues? Fields: It could be anywhere from 30 minutes to one hour, depending on the data that has to be inputted. Aaron: Bloomberg gave a report that it could potentially cost small businesses about $2.6 billion and that was associated with the

time and effort it was going to take to have companies input that information. If there is a TNC it could take up to eight days or potentially more and that employer will have to go back and make sure that case is closed. Fields: Think about this. You have spent eight or 10 days training an employee for a specific job and if they come back and do not verify, you have to start that all over again. That is some of the hidden costs. MBJ: You can also close the case by terminating the employee. Fields: That’s correct. Aaron: The posters for E-Verify must be displayed and you must use E-Verify on all new hires regardless of citizenship or nationality. Fields: What happens in a lot of those cases with a TNC, if the person knows they are illegal then they are not going to try to solve it. They will go work somewhere else. If they don’t show up, there is a place in the system where you can notate that – you can say employee was a no-show. It’s a non-contest, where they don’t contest the E-Verify process and then you close the case. •

Looking

Expert forecasts nearly 3% GDP growth for Alabama by David Zaslawsky photography by Robert Fouts

To understand Alabama’s current economy you need to understand its transformation in the past 20 years. In 1990, the state had 100,000 workers in the low-paying textile industry – nondurable manufacturing. Now, the state has 7,000 workers in the textile industry. “What the state has done is replace those jobs with durable goods manufacturing and in particular the durable goods sectors that are doing well in the state and are relatively high-wage sectors, including steel production, automotive production, motor vehicle parts and machinery manufacturing to some extent,” said Ahmad Ijaz, director of economic forecasting for the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research. At the 2012 Economic Outlook Conference, Ijaz said that the state’s manufacturing sector will spark Alabama’s economic growth this year. The center is forecasting gross domestic product (GDP) growth in 2012 of 2.4 percent with a range from 2.0 percent to 3.5 percent. Ijaz is in the higher camp. “It would not surprise me if we grow by almost 3 percent this year,” he said at the conference, which was held at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center. Continued on page 16

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

Continued from page 15

The center’s outlook for employment is a 1.1 percent increase, but Ijaz said it is likely to be in the 1.4 percent to 1.6 percent range. Montgomery, which has been hit hard by government layoffs, is forecast to have employment growth of 1.4 percent in 2012. That employment rate increase is the highest for all the state’s 11 metro areas, which does include some smaller areas such as Dothan, Gadsden, AnnistonOxford and Florence-Muscle Shoals.

There is more good news for the automotive sector as IHS Global Insight is forecasting that about 13.3 million vehicles will be sold in the U.S. this year, an increase of about 600,000 units from 2011. There’s even better news on the horizon: A forecast of 14.7 million vehicles being sold in 2013, which is an increase of about 2 million from 2011.

Montgomery is forecast to increase its GDP by a metro-best 3.9 percent. That explains why the Montgomery area was only region in the first quarter Alabama Business Confidence Index (ABCI) to have all six categories in the positive range. Those categories are the national economy, state economy, sales, profits, hiring and capital expenditures. The ABCI uses the state’s four-largest metro areas: Montgomery, Mobile, Birmingham and Huntsville. From November 2010 through November 2011, Montgomery was adding jobs in the professional and business services sector (500) and leisure and hospitality (200), according to Carolyn Trent, socioeconomic analyst for the Center for Business and Economic Research. She said that Montgomery was the only metro that added jobs in leisure and hospitality. One of the key reasons for the more upbeat Alabama economic outlook is the transportation equipment manufacturing sector. In addition to automotive production, the sector includes engine and automotive parts production, shipbuilding and missile and defense. Transportation equipment is the state’s No. 1 export and accounts for nearly 35 percent of all exports - $5.3 billion of the $15.5 billion total. That sector is so key to exports that the next three combined – chemicals, minerals and ores and machinery – do not match transportation equipment.

Above: Ahmad Ijaz; right: Carolyn Trent

With manufacturing plants producing vehicles for Hyundai, Honda and Mercedes-Benz as well as a Toyota engine plant – the state’s transportation equipment manufacturing sector is a major strength. Manufacturing accounts for 16.3 percent of the state’s GDP with 12.7 percent of Alabama’s workers, according to Ijaz. It is the only sector that accounts for a greater percentage of GDP than its percentage of workers. The leisure and hospitality sector, which has 8.9 percent of the state’s employees, accounts for 2.8 percent of the state’s GDP due to lower-paying jobs. The state’s unemployment rate of 8.0 in November 2011 was much lower than surrounding states, including Florida (9.8), Mississippi (9.7), Georgia (9.3) and Tennessee (8.4). “The reason for that is our manufacturing employment,” Ijaz, “and none of those states have the kind of manufacturing base that Alabama has.” From January of 2011 through November 2011, the durable goods manufacturing sector added 5,800 jobs while the state showed a gain of almost 40,000 jobs. “Most of those jobs were in the auto sector and the good thing about that is that it’s a relatively high-wage sector,” Ijaz said. “When you add jobs in that sector, it’s always good for our tax receipts and it’s always good for our per capita income.”

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

The top three sectors for job growth from Jan. 2011 to Nov. 2011 were trade, transportation and utilities (14,700); retail trade (12,500) and professional and business services (10,900). The government sector lost 4,200 jobs during that time span. The Center for Business and Economic Research is forecasting tax receipts to grow between 4 and 5 percent this year. The range of the forecast is 2.5 percent to 6.0 percent. Despite the fairly rosy forecast, Ijaz acknowledged that people still feel as though the country remains in a recession. The reason, he said, is “the sheer number of jobs lost in the recession.” The state would have to add nearly 135,000 jobs to return to pre-recession levels and about 20,000 jobs are expected to be added this year. He said it took Alabama almost 44 months to recover jobs lost from a modest recession in 2001 that lasted seven to eight months. He said it will take time to recover from the Great Recession and “that is one of the reasons why it doesn’t feel like a recovery.” He said the Great Recession was the deepest and longest recession and was the worst for job loss. •

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

Forecasting firm calls for tepid U.S. economy by David Zaslawsky Although the U.S. economy ended last year with a bang, the outlook for 2012 is more of a whimper. IHS Global Insight, one of the country’s premier forecasting firms, is looking for gross domestic product (GDP) growth of 1.8 percent for 2012. A consensus of a blue-chip panel of economists calls for a 2.2 percent growth in GDP this year. “Our models are telling us to be a little more optimistic and I want to be little more optimistic, but we haven’t fully convinced ourselves that’s where we should be at this point,” David Altig, senior vice president and director of research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta, said at an economic conference in Montgomery. “I might get optimistic and deliver you a forecast of 3 percent for next year, but that is as far as I can go right now and I’m not sure that is good enough,” he said at the conclusion of his 45-minute presentation at the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center. “A 2.2 percent GDP growth 2½ years into a recovery doesn’t get it,” Altig said. “We are suffering major, major dislocations and costs in this country and this economy.” IHS Global Insight is also forecasting employment to increase 1.1 percent this year; exports to grow 3.5 percent; and government spending to be negative (-2.8 percent for federal and -2.5 percent for state and local). Altig told conference attendees that it is unlikely for the fourth quarter of 2011 to carry over in 2012 for a number of reasons:

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

Businesses have told Fed regions that they may have gotten carried away with spending and hiring in late 2011 and plan to pull back. Government, which accounts for 16 to 17 percent of all employment, is the largest broad category. Altig said it is larger than the broad category of education and health care and larger than the broad category of professional and business services. He said government “will continue to be a net drag on spending.” Export growth will slow because of the economic crisis in Europe, which accounts for about 25 percent of all U.S. exports. He said that Germany’s economy, which is the strongest in Europe and was the fastest-growing among developed countries, was negative for the fourth quarter of 2011. European Union countries as well as non-European Union countries are expected to be in a recession the first quarter of 2012. “They will import less from us and that will be pressure on the businesses in the United States that export to those destinations,” Altig said. Business investment and particularly in equipment and software have been trending lower. The consumer will be hard pressed to continue spending at the current levels without sufficient income growth. “A 2.2 percent growth in GDP does not correspond to a substantial pickup in disposal income growth at the personal level,” Altig said. Housing prices are still falling and consumers are unable to use home equity lines of credit because so many homeowners’ mortgages are underwater.

David Altig, senior vice president and director of research for the Federal Reserve Bank of Atlanta.

Those are a lot of headwinds to overcome for economic growth, including uncertainty of tax and regulatory policy. “When the uncertainty index is high then the hiring index is low,” Altig said. That is especially true with small businesses. In a survey of small businesses, the National Federation of Independent Businesses found that 19 percent of its members said that regulatory uncertainty is the most important impediment to growth while 19 percent said the main obstacle is taxes. Twenty-five percent of the respondents said that the No. 1 impediment to growth is the sluggish economy. In the Kauffman Foundation poll of highgrowth firms, only 3 percent said that regulatory uncertainty is the main obstacle to growth and just 4 percent said it is taxes. For high-growth firms the single most important obstacle to growth is finding qualified employees (40 percent), managing that growth (21 percent) and accessing capital (16 percent). •

Economist advocates stimulus for sluggish recovery conference attendees that “Europe is practicing austerity at the wrong time. All stimulus is not a bad thing. It’s not. It is the right medicine for right now. You use stimulus in bad times.”

Samuel Addy, associate dean for research and outreach in the University of Alabama’s Culver College of Commerce.

by David Zaslawsky Using a Bible story as a backdrop, the luncheon speaker at an economic conference said that stimulus is needed during bad times and austerity is needed during good times. Samuel Addy, associate dean for research and outreach in the University of Alabama’s Culverhouse College of Commerce, told

He said that “in good times is when you practice austerity. In good times is when you save. In good times you should be taxed. Taxes are not bad things. Taxes are not sacrifices. The only economic sacrifice is investment because it is something you don’t consume today. You invest in tomorrow.” Throughout his speech, which was titled “Critical Issues for U.S. Economic Recovery and Growth,” Addy said the country already knows how to deal with the economy. “We have the knowledge to deal with this economic crisis. We already have the tools to deal with it. It’s a simple tool, but a very powerful tool. It’s called human ingenuity.”

He said that a key obstacle is the focus on the short term vs. a long-term perspective. “Every crisis – every problem – is an opportunity for profit-making,” he said. Addy suggested that people need to ask what the goals of policies are. “What options do we have to achieve the goals? What are the costs and benefits? How do we implement the policy and at what pace?” Addy said that numbers are just tools in economics. “Economics is really the study of three fields: philosophy, anthropology and psychology. We all try to do the best we can with the resources we have.” In addition to his duties as associate dean, Addy is the director and research economist for the university’s Center for Business and Economic Research. •

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

Montgomerians expect economic growth by David Zaslawsky Montgomery area participants in the Alabama Business Confidence Index (ABCI) are an optimistic bunch compared with the state’s other metro regions. The quarterly survey, conducted by the University of Alabama’s Center for Business and Economic Research, shows Montgomery respondents have an overall ABCI of 54.3. While Birmingham’s ABCI is close at 52.7, Mobile’s is 4.7 points lower than Montgomery’s at 49.6 and Huntsville’s is 7.3 points less than Montgomery’s at 47.0. There are some other striking comparisons. Montgomery respondents are much more positive about the state’s economy than those in either Huntsville (10.8 points less than Montgomery) or Mobile (9.8 points less than Montgomery). Here are some other significant differences: > Montgomery respondents are projecting sales to increase (56.8) while Huntsville respondents are expecting firstquarter sales to remain flat (50.3). That is a 6.5-point difference. > Montgomery respondents see profits increasing (52.7) compared with survey participants in both Huntsville and Mobile, which are anticipating projects to decline. The Montgomery percentage is 6.9 points more than Huntsville. > In hiring and capital expenditures, Montgomery’s index is about 5.5 points more than Huntsville in both categories.

The overall ABCI turned positive and increased 5.3 points to 50.8 for the first quarter of the year compared to the final quarter of 2011. All of the index categories rose, but it was the national economic outlook and the state’s economic outlook that led the way. An index of more than 50 indicates expansion and the lone component still showing contraction is the national economy. The following is a breakdown of the six components: National economy Although the index gained 8.7 points from the fourth quarter to the first quarter, it is still less than 50 at 46.5. That 46.5 is a decline of 8.6 points from the first quarter in 2011. About one-third of the respondents expect the first quarter to remain the same as the fourth quarter of 2011 while 28 percent expect the national economy to improve. About 40 percent are projecting a decline in the first quarter. The least optimistic sectors are professional, scientific and technical services and health care. Alabama economy This component rose 7.0 points from the fourth quarter to 52.0. One-third of the survey participants are projecting an improved quarter while 24 percent anticipate the quarter to be worse. Almost 43 percent expect the quarter to be the same as the fourth quarter. Industry sales This component, which increased 5.0 points from the fourth quarter, has the highest index of all six categories at 55.6. Almost 46 percent expect the quarter to be better than the

ABCI and Component Indexes by Area, First Quarter 2012 National Economy

ALABAMA

MONTGOMERY

BIRMINGHAM

HUNTSVILLE

MOBILE

46.5

52.0

48.5

42.3

43.4

Alabama Economy

52.0

58.8

53.4

49.0

8.0

Industry Sales

55.6

56.8

58.6

50.3

57.2

Industry Profits

50.2

52.7

53.7

45.8

49.3

Industry Hiring

50.0

53.4

50.4

47.8

50.0

Capital Expenditures

50.6

52.0

51.5

46.5

49.3

ABCI

50.8

54.3

52.7

47.0

49.6

Center for Business and Economic Reseasrch, The University of Alabama. ABCI ™; Index above 50 indicates expansion. Index below 50 indicates contraction.

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

fourth quarter and another one-third expect no change. Less than 23 percent of the respondents are projecting a decline in first-quarter sales. The most bullish sectors are manufacturing, transportation, information, utilities and wholesale trade. Industry profits The component is barely positive after a 2.9-point gain from the fourth quarter of 2011. The category is now at 50.2 and is evenly divided with one-third expecting no change from the previous quarter; 36 percent expecting an increase in profits and 31 percent expecting a decline. The most upbeat sectors are wholesale trade, manufacturing, finance, insurance, real estate, transportation, information and utilities. The sectors most pessimistic are health care, construction and retail. Industry hiring The component had a 4.1-point increase and stands at 50.0, the second-lowest of the six categories that form the overall ABCI. More than half of the respondents (56 percent) do not expect any change from the fourth quarter. Those anticipating an increase in hiring (24 percent) are almost the same as those expecting a decrease (21 percent). The sectors projecting an increase in first-quarter hiring are transportation, information, utilities, manufacturing, retail and wholesale trade and professional, scientific and technical services. The health care, construction, finance, insurance and real estate sectors are expecting a decline in hiring. Industry capital expenditures This is one of three components at 50.0 or more, but less than 51.0. The component increased 4.2 points from the fourth quarter to reach 50.6. About 26 percent of the survey participants expect to spend more in the first quarter compared with 20 percent who expect to cut back on spending. A majority – 54 percent – expect spending levels will remain the same. The sectors expecting to increase spending in the first quarter are transportation, information, utilities, finance, insurance, real estate, manufacturing and retail. •

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

Investor Profile

Leslie Sanders is vice president of Alabama Powerâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Southern Division.

Showing Its Mettle Alabama Power shines through during unprecedented disaster by David Zaslawsky

photography by Robert Fouts

You can learn a lot about a company from the way it handles an emergency. Everybody learned a lot about Alabama Power from how it handled an unprecedented disaster â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the April 2011 tornadoes that devastated Alabama, killing more than 240 people.

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

More than 400,000 Alabama Power customers lost power from the tornado outbreak that wreaked havoc in 44 cities served by the company. Alabama Power, with help from its sister utility Georgia Power, handled 400,000-plus calls. Alabama Power brought in a small army – 10,000plus personnel from 20 states – to repair the damage. In seven short days, Alabama Power: > Installed 6,000 distribution poles. > Installed 400-plus transmission structures. > Repaired or replaced eight substations. > Replaced more than 4 million feet of wire. In those seven short days, power was restored to all customers who were able to receive it and the utility spent an estimated $200 million-plus. Leslie Sanders, vice president of Alabama Power’s Southern Division, said it “was unbelievable” that power was restored in seven days considering the massive destruction. She credited Alabama Power President and CEO Charles McCrary, who said, ‘We are committed” to restoring power to the company’s customers. “From working for him, I would say he is focused on trustworthiness with our customers and our employees and providing a reliable, valuable product day in and day out.” She said one of McCrary’s credos is that Alabama Power is built on safety. “We have a program called Target Zero and it is a mindset that we start off every meeting with a safety briefing. “If something happens to you it’s going to affect me as your coworker and it’s going to affect your family. You might not go home. Your spouse and your kids want to see you at the end of the day. We are all committed to our safety program. That coupled with the trustworthiness and credibility make your reputation.”

Alabama Power Number of customers

1.4 million Employees

6,552

Service territory

44,500 square miles Total number of poles and towers

1.5 million

Total miles of line

91,985

2006 reliability

99.97 percent Total revenue for 2010

$5.4 billion

Total kilowatt hours sales in 2010

60.5 billion

Source: Alabama Power

That trustworthiness and credibility must also stand the test of regulators. The Public Service Commission oversees Alabama Power.

That shows up in the Employee Engagement Council, which is comprised of employees who “look at what are the needs and concerns of employees and how do we address those and create a family atmosphere in a corporate culture,” Sanders said, “and how do we interact with the communities from Camden to Auburn to Montgomery.”

“You have your credibility with your employees; with your stockholders; with your customers; and with your political leaders,” Sanders said. “If one of those gets out of kilter, then you’ve got an issue.”

The Alabama Power Service Organization is a vehicle for employees to do charitable work. Sanders said that most of the company’s employees are involved in more than one community endeavor.

The company’s storied history goes back to Thomas Martin, who “founded the company to make the quality of life better,” Sanders said.

Alabama Power covers about two-thirds of the state and its size does have advantages.

For a company to be successful, it has to start with the people, according to Sanders. “The people that worked in the company in the past and the ones that work here now – I think are a special group of people. They care about each other and care about the customers that they serve.”

“Size is definitely important, but just as important as size is mindset because size can be a double-edged sword,” Sanders said. “You can be big enough to be able to form groups and do that we do, but you can also be so big that you think you don’t have to. That would be an awful thing. “We can do things from a statewide prospective for the Diabetes Association, the March of Dimes and those kinds of things,” Sanders said. “While that is from the larger footprint, what helps is having the March of Dimes walks in each of the (towns) like Tallassee and here in Montgomery.” •

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

The City for Success Montgomery is poised to overtake Birmingham in population race by David Zaslawsky

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said that his Birmingham counterpart calls about once a month. Birmingham Mayor William Bell “says slow down,” Strange said, referring to the most recent population figures for the two cities. Birmingham ranks No. 1 in the state with about 212,000 with Montgomery a close second with almost 206,000 (205,764 to be exact).

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange.

“To be No. 1 in the State of Alabama,” Strange said, “and what comes with that is a lot of recognition, but more important is pride – pride in your community. If we are going to get there … it’s because of you,” he told the audience of business executives and political and community leaders attending the state of the city address at RSA Activity Center. “It’s because of you – the private sector. You risk your dollars every day to make a living for your family; to make our community a better community.”

Strange said that the city, county and state help create a positive environment for businesses by improving the infrastructure – priming the pump. He said that 25 companies representing about 8,000 jobs are looking at Montgomery. Landing some of those projects will go a long way in reducing Montgomery’s 8.2 percent unemployment rate. That’s 8,000 people out of work in Montgomery County. “We are doing so much better than the national economy and so much better than the state unemployment rate,” Strange said. He is looking forward to more job announcements such as Community Newspaper Holdings Inc. (CNHI) moving its corporate headquarters from Birmingham to Montgomery. Those jobs averaged about $75,000 a year and guess what CNHI President and CEO Donna Barrett had to say about the new employees from the River Region? They were better than the previous ones. “I think that’s a tribute to all the great things that are happening in Montgomery, Alabama,” Strange said. A corporate headquarters not only means high-paying jobs – about half of the company’s 75 employees were hired from the Montgomery area – but increased traffic at the Montgomery Regional Airport. Business executives from other companies

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

and cities will travel to Montgomery to visit CNHI officials in their offices at the RSA Dexter Avenue Building.

not costing us a dime.â&#x20AC;? He expects the city to actually turn a $30,000 to $40,000 profit by selling the scrap material.

The Montgomery County Board of Education â&#x20AC;&#x153;is talking to each other and not at each other,â&#x20AC;? Strange said.

Hyundai Power Transformers USA, which celebrated a grand opening of its facility in Montgomery, will hire an estimated 400 people this year as it ramps up production.

The Smart Code was adopted for the Oak Park, Centennial Hill, Jackson Hospital and Alabama State University area.

Strange recalled that when he first came to office three years ago there was no dream and no vision. A public relations campaign was launched with the theme, â&#x20AC;&#x153;Capital of Dreams.â&#x20AC;?

In other developments:

There are so many positive things going on in Montgomery that it has changed the old equation. Montgomery officials used to attend out-of-town trade shows and ask for businesses to take a look at the city. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Iâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;m pleased to tell you today that we donâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;t have to go to those shows,â&#x20AC;? Strange exclaimed. â&#x20AC;&#x153;Weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re getting inundated with national companies coming to us and saying, â&#x20AC;&#x2DC;Where can we locate?â&#x20AC;&#x2122; Those are projects that we work and work and work on.â&#x20AC;? He talked about other projects in the city including a new $1 million scoreboard at Riverwalk Stadium, the home of the Montgomery Biscuits baseball team. The city tore down a dilapidated building near a gate to Maxwell Air Force Base and the mayor proudly said the demolition â&#x20AC;&#x153;is

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Bids are being solicited for the Genetta Park project in West Montgomery. Engineering work is beginning on the West Fairview Avenue streetscape. Heritage Apartments, which was built by Summit Housing Partners in Montgomery, has been fully rented and has a waiting list. The crime rate is at an historic 20-year low in every category except for homicides, which is about three more than the yearly average.

Here is the cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s vision statement: â&#x20AC;&#x153;To sustain a safe, vibrant and growing Montgomery in its entirety that we are all proud to call home.â&#x20AC;? That vision guides â&#x20AC;&#x153;everything we do,â&#x20AC;? Strange said. â&#x20AC;&#x153;When each and every one of you put your shoulders to the wheel,â&#x20AC;? he said to the audience, â&#x20AC;&#x153;we can be that capital of dreams; we can be that great shining city on the hill that weâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;re proud to call home. We are the capital of dreams and the city for success.â&#x20AC;? â&#x20AC;˘

The cityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s fire department is one of three in the state with an ISO rating of 2 and the largest by far. The other two are in Dothan and Homewood.

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March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

Montgomery County Remains Strong County’s health care program saves $4 million-plus by David Zaslawsky

Montgomery County’s health care program for employees, dependents and retirees has been so successful that City of Montgomery and water board employees are using the same program and clinics. Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton N. Dean said that in the 3½ years since the program called “CareHere” was adopted, the county saved $4 million-plus. During that time span, more than 1,200 county employees, dependents and retirees participated in the program and there were about 5,500 appointments just last year. Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton N. Dean, Sr.

The CareHere program, which provides free and discounted services, was been expanded to three locations: South Hull Street, Perry Hill Road and Mobile Highway. CareHere, a Nashville, Tennessee-based company, manages about 80 clinics nationally. The county owns the South Hull Street facility, which was converted from an insurance company. The City of Montgomery owns the doctor’s office on Mobile Highway and Montgomery Water Works owns the clinic on Perry Hill Road. The county was looking at health care costs projected to increase about 9 percent a year, but by providing free doctor visits; free generic prescriptions; low-cost diagnostic

tests ($3 to $10); a wellness program; and access to a nutritionist twice week – the county’s overall medical costs decreased one year by 2 percent, according to county risk manager Scott Kramer. There was a small increase in overall costs of 3.9 percent one year and currently the county’s health care costs have declined 2.7 percent because ailments are being treated in a much more cost-effective way. “Where we generate savings in addition to labs and prescriptions is to avoid an acute problem in the emergency room,” Kramer said. He said there are webinars and classes that promote a healthier lifestyle. “We are deep in the throes of a new economy that requires us to think in different ways with frequent and strategic budget reductions,” Dean said during a State of the County address before business and political leaders at the RSA Activity Center. “In the midst of these challenging times, we have seized opportunities to prioritize our resources and analyze our strategies,” he said. Dean acknowledged that employment is down and “families and businesses are struggling, but even in these volatile times we remain focused on our principles of efficient, effective government and our goals reflect our intentions to keep a long-term perspective. “As we look to the future, I know that our county is ready to face the challenges that lie ahead while capitalizing on the opportunities that present themselves.

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Chairman of the Board of Directors Lee Ellis introduced Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange and Montgomery County Commission Chairman Elton N. Dean for updates on the city and county. Sitting at the head table (from left) were Dean, Strange and Major General Thomas K. Anderson, Vice Commander, Air University, Maxwell AFB.

“In the face of all these challenges, the state of Montgomery County remains strong. We will continue to meet these obstacles head on, maintaining a longterm perspective while doing the necessary things to make life better for our citizens.” County employees – all 844 of them – have been asked to provide the same level of services with fewer people – the result of a hiring freeze. “I appreciate their dedication to the county and its citizens,” Dean said about the county employees. The Commission approved a $95.2 million budget and revenues are showing signs of improvement. Sales tax revenues, which account for about 40 percent of the county’s budget, are up 2.6 percent. That translates into an increase of nearly $950,000. “For the (fiscal) year, we posted increased sales tax figures in 10 of the 12 months,” Dean said. “We added $1.4 million of lodging tax.”

He said the Commission’s focus will be two-fold this year: jobs and services. Dean pointed to economic development successes from last year, including capital investment of almost $57 million from existing industries and the creation of 200 jobs. Then there is the $108 million capital investment with Hyundai Power Transformers USA.

“We had over 70 new projects identified in 2011, which is why Business Facilities magazine ranked the Montgomery metro area No. 7 in economic development in the United States,” Dean said. Continued on page 28

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

Continued from page 27

“It is now more important than ever that we stay on course with our economic development efforts with the Chamber, city and the state and remain focused on attracting businesses from all over the world, providing quality employment for our citizens,” he said. Montgomery County is also enjoying lofty rankings for its maintenance of 560 miles of paved roads and another 22 miles of unpaved roads as well as bridges. The county ranked No. 6 in 2010 out of all the state’s counties and achieved an overall grade of 93.44 out of a possible 100. The county’s five-year ranking was No. 2 overall in the state. The county received a grade of 93.64 in September 2011, which “means we have safe roads and bridges,” Dean said. Dean, who has been Commission chairman for three years, said he is a strong proponent for education. The county gave about $25 million to the district’s school board last year. “Every time these companies come to Alabama to set up shop they ask about

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

Attendees filled the RSA Activity Center to hear the State of the City and the State of the County addresses.

education,” he said. “We need to provide our students with the education they need to capitalize on these good jobs. “I feel the county plays a (critical role) in the effort to make Montgomery, Alabama, the best city and county in this state.” •

Chamber News

Business Owners SCORE Free Advice SCORE starts spreading the news about its services by David Zaslawsky

One of the goals this year of the Montgomery chapter of Service Corps of Retired Executives (SCORE) is to let people know it exists.

SCORE is looking for non-mentor volunteers for its outreach campaign, which includes welcoming new Chamber members and telling them about SCORE.

That’s right – SCORE is ready, willing and able to assist business owners with expert advice from counselors/mentors and that advice is free. Now the local SCORE chapter wants to spread the news that business owners may visit the organization’s office at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Resource Center and talk with the mentors on a wide range of subjects.

The organization averages about five requests a week and Langley said one of the goals is to increase the number of people SCORE assists by 10 percent.

“We are trying to inform the public through social media and by partnering with other businesses like banks to do workshops so more people are aware of this service,” said Pam Langley, a SCORE mentor, who is president of the Montgomery chapter. She is a career development director for Exit Hodges Real Estate and runs her own consulting firm specializing in promotions, advertising and marketing. She said numerous companies are struggling during the difficult economic recovery “and for them to come to us for marketing advice or advice on how to borrow money or get extra capital to expand or for whatever reason – it’s a fabulous opportunity for them to have professional (guidance) and it’s free.”

To increase the public’s awareness of SCORE, the group’s mentors will record short speeches on the organization’s YouTube channel to introduce themselves. The group is expected to have a Facebook page early this year and will also have a Twitter account. This year, SCORE will be offering a wide range of workshops and training for small business owners. The workshops and training sessions, which will be at banks, will be either free or low cost, according to Langley. She said potential topics include marketing on a shoestring budget; updating a business plan; and implementing social media into your business.

Pam Langley, career development director for Exit Hodges Real Estate, is a SCORE mentor who is president of the Montgomery chapter.

Continued on page 31

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

THe rIver reGIonâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;S PreMIer buSIneSS GolF evenT Monday, April 9, 2012 Wynlakes Golf & Country Club SCrAMble TournAMenT

$155/person Chamber Members $175/person Non-Members FIrST FlIGHT

7:00 a.m. Registration 8:00 a.m. Shotgun Start SeConD FlIGHT

11:30 a.m. Registration 1:00 p.m. Shotgun Start lunCH

11:30 a.m. AWArDS reCePTIon/DInner

5:30 p.m.

PreSenTInG SPonSor 30

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

This is a rain or shine event.

Continued from page 29

SCORE SPREADSHEET Accounting Frank Jenkins,Entrepreneur/CPA 334-399-2895 Business Banking Draper Stanford, Aliant Bank 334-270-3005 Drue Tubbs, Whitney Bank 334-244-7141 Pernell Jenkins, BB&T 334-467-5371 Robert Van Alst, Sterling Bank 334-244-4434 Rodger Selph, First Tuskegee Bank 334-414-2744 Roger Teel, Bank Trust 334-361-3056

Franchising Mike Lee, J M L Development, LLC 334-244-7887 Health Care Isaiah Sankey, Isaiah’s Resteraunt 334-230-9708 Social Media Pam Langley, EXIT Hodges Real Estate 334-318-2318 Technology & IT

The organization aggressively recruited bankers as mentors because clients were asking about loans for their initial start-up or capital to buy equipment or expand, Langley said. SCORE has 11 mentors as well as five provisional ones who have not completed the required training courses, but who can assist a mentor. “The goals this year are to increase the number of workshops; the number of people who use SCORE services; and to add some new areas such as media,” Langley said.•

Curtis Ingram, Retired 334-279-9811 Earl Heath, Retired 334-288-0662 Robert Stabler (Emeritus Mentor)

Financial Services Rick Williams, Prudential 334-467-9072

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

Driving

Force Creating and preserving jobs â&#x20AC;&#x201C; the Chamberâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s way of doing business by David Zaslawsky

Horace Horn (left to right) is chairman elect of the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce Board of Directors. Joe Hampton, Leslie Sanders and Arthur DuCote are vice chairmen. Each is an executive committee liaison for one of the four pillars of the Imagine a Greater Montgomery II economic strategy.

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange told a roomful of the area’s movers and shakers that “great credit” goes to the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce.

The Chamber fosters growth of young professionals through Emerge Montgomery and the future movers and shakers through Leadership Montgomery.

He was not talking in code, but referring to the Chamber’s economic development efforts and successes. After all, it is the mission of the Chamber to create and preserve jobs.

The Chamber is a strong supporter of minority business development and annually holds a Diversity Summit, which is gaining national prominence.

During the same event, Montgomery County Chairman Elton N. Dean, Sr. recognized the Chamber for being such a great partner. It is something he does at most events. But what does it all mean – the great credit comment and being such an important partner?

The Chamber promotes professional and personal growth of female executives through the Women In Business Forum, which also is a key vehicle for recognizing achievements.

When asked where Montgomery would be today without the Chamber, Strange answered immediately: “Dark ages.” Dean said the Chamber’s value to the community “is worth billions.” Strange said: “It’s invaluable.” Those are big compliments from two of Montgomery’s key leaders. Consider this: The Chamber was the driving force in establishing seven Career Academies currently operating in the Montgomery Public Schools system and officials are considering adding more. The Chamber has been the main catalyst in encouraging the business community to work closely with education officials to improve public education. The Chamber operates the Convention & Visitor Bureau, which is tasked with increasing the travel industry revenue. The Chamber has a Military Affairs division that is proactive in protecting assets and missions and working to expand those missions to both create jobs and preserve the existing ones. The Chamber operates the Small Business Resource Center, which provides a lowcost opportunity for entrepreneurs to start a company and has the expertise to help those companies grow and prosper. The center’s incubation program created 400plus jobs and generated more than $600 million in capital investment as well as training 450-plus would-be entrepreneurs.

The Chamber facilitates open lines of communication between elected officials by hosting a monthly breakfast. “I don’t know how to say it any clearer than relationships, partnerships and teamwork give you a leg up on trying to get stuff done,” Strange said. “You can speak with one voice and speak with great authority when you have the city, county, Chamber, our legislative delegation and in some cases the Board of Education … working together.” The Chamber has corporate development staff working tirelessly to recruit new companies to Montgomery and assist existing industries. “Our Chamber is not like most Chambers,” Dean said. “A lot of Chambers don’t get involved in the educational process – they recruit businesses. When you think about a Chamber you think about the business enterprise. Our Chamber goes a lot further than that – creating a better way of life for the communities.” Strange said that the city does not have the resources or expertise to take the lead on corporate development. He understands the importance of the Chamber doing all the leg work and data gathering on projects. “We would be in the blind,” Strange said if the Chamber did not tackle those roles. “We couldn’t make good decisions.”

“Never before have the city, county and state leadership of Montgomery worked together with the business community to make such great things happen.” Lee Ellis, Chairman of the Board of Directors for the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce

CONTINUED ON PAGE 34

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

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By working on new and existing industry projects, the Chamber frees up city officials to concentrate on retail development. There is no duplication of efforts. The Chamber frequently works behind the scenes and because it is not a government entity has much more latitude keeping negotiations private, which is essential to companies looking to come to Montgomery or existing companies looking to expand.

“The Chamber is important because of its abilities to bring many different groups together to address the needs for sustained growth. “ Thomas Tsekouras, Site General Manager, Sabic Innovative Plastics, US LLC

Montgomery was ranked No. 1 for job creation in 2010 and the Chamber is leading the effort along with its partners. The Chamber is embarking this year on its comprehensive, five-year strategy called Imagine A Greater Montgomery II, a fine-tuned sequel to the recently completed five-year Imagine I strategy. That strategy is a detailed roadmap to make Montgomery a better place to live, work and play. Here are the four goals: > Champion education and develop competitive regional talent > Diversify economic growth > Accelerate revitalization and improve quality of place > Build community capacity, engagement and image. The city has adopted the Imagine II strategy as its own strategic plan. Strange said that if the Chamber had not developed the Imagine strategy, the city would had paid a consultant thousands of dollars. “We look to them for their vision,” Dean said about the Chamber, “and then we incorporate their vision with our vision and come around the table and put them together and that makes us successful – a successful project; a successful venture.”

Those successful projects are too numerous to list, but one of the recent ones was attracting Hyundai Power Transformers USA to build its first North American manufacturing plant at the Interstate Industrial Park in Montgomery. That decision resulted in a $100 million-plus investment and the eventual creation of 500 jobs – 400 of which are expected to be this year. Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama (HMMA), which produces the Sonata and Elantra at its facility in Montgomery, announced last year a $173 million engine shop project and the creation of 214 jobs. An engine plant was expanded and modified. In 2011, companies including MOBIS Alabama, KyungshinLear, J&P Industries, Jay R. Smith, Allstate Beverage Co., Thermalex, Shinsung Petrochemical added a combined 194 jobs with a total capital investment of $56.8 million. Just two years ago, five existing industries announced expansions, totaling more than 370 jobs and a capital investment of almost $150 million. Those companies were Dow Corning, Hausted Patient Handling Systems, Genpak, MOBIS Alabama and HMMA. That’s what the Chamber does – create and preserve jobs and that was forefront a few years back when Montgomery was in serious danger of losing what was then called the Operations and Sustainment Systems Group (OSSG) at the Gunter Annex to the Base Closure and Realignment Commission (BRAC). That would have resulted in a death blow to Montgomery’s information technology sector. The Chamber marshaled its forces to save OSSG – an estimated 3,200 high-paying jobs and an estimated annual economic impact of $750 million. The Chamber and partners worked feverishly and developed a well-orchestrated response to save OSSG. A panel was convinced to reject the proposal of moving OSSG to Hanscom Air Force Base near Boston. Once again, thousands of jobs saved. Now with the threat of a new round or rounds of BRAC, the Chamber is aggressively playing offense by forming a group called the Military Stability Task Force. That task force is “going after some new mission CONTINUED ON PAGE 37

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

“I consider the Chamber as the leading voice for business in the greater Montgomery area. It understands the needs of business and industry and serves as a great champion for us.” Anita Archie Senior Vice President, Government Affairs, Legal Advisor, Business Council of Alabama

“We always tell people that the support and assistance that Hyundai has received from every level of government in Alabama, and especially from the Chamber, is the model for how every other state should practice economic development.” Rick Neal, Vice President Administration and General Counsel, Hyundai Motor Manufacturing Alabama, LLC

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

“I’m not sure where we would be without the Chamber but I’m confident we wouldn’t be where we are now!” Willie Durham, Agent, State Farm Insurance, Willie Durham-Agent

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

“The Chamber is like having a partner that knows everything about our communityunbeatable.” Liz Braswell, City President, AmeriFirst Bank

“The Chamber can take the business view and move important items such as education forward.” David G. Bronner, CEO, Retirement Systems of Alabama

CONTINUED FROM PAGE 34

opportunities already and have been for some time,” said Paul Hankins, who wears many hats, but this time was speaking as the chair of the Military Stability Foundation. He was the consultant hired jointly by the Chamber and City of Montgomery to fight the BRAC recommendation to move OSSG in 2005. The OSSG is now called Air Force Program Executive Office for Business and Enterprise Systems.

“The Chamber is the catalyst for unity and consistency.”

Hankins is chair of the Military Stability Foundation, which is a fund-raising arm of the Alabama Job Creation and Military Stability Commission. The foundation will assist the state’s key military cities – Anniston, Dothan, Huntsville and Montgomery, which is home to Maxwell Air Force Base and Gunter Annex – in funding proposals to strengthen missions thereby protecting against possible cuts.

Greene, Chamber vice president, Military and Federal Affairs. “We’re going to look for opportunities to grow missions.” Create and preserve jobs – that’s the Chamber’s way of doing business. “The mayor and I; the City Council and County Commission could not do the things that we do and have the accomplishments that we have if it was not for this Chamber,” Dean said. “The Chamber is the reason that we have other people coming to Montgomery to see how we do business.” •

“We think we have very strong missions here and we’re going to work as hard as we can to protect those missions,” said Joe

Keivan Deravi, Special Assistant to the Chancellor/Economic Affairs, Auburn University at Montgomery

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

“It gives our community a vehicle by which we can come together to make Montgomery a better place to live and work.“ Larry D. Puckett, President, Larry Puckett Chevrolet

“The Chamber is the voice of our community in an ongoing dialogue about economic and community development and efforts to create the best climate for businesses and residents.” Horace H. Horn, Vice President of External Affairs, PowerSouth Energy

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

IMAGINE a Greater Montgomery II In 2006, the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce and its partners worked with Market Street Services to design and implement Imagine a Greater Montgomery, a 2007-2011strategic economic development plan to build upon the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s strengths and address its challenges while maximizing real opportunities. More than 250 community members participated in shaping the first Imagine a Greater Montgomery plan. Accomplishments of the 20078-2011 plan: steady growth in regional per capita income; the launch of seven Kâ&#x20AC;&#x201C;12 career academies; vastly improved communication and partnership among elected officials; the creation of the EMERGE Montgomery young professionals program; a significantly enhanced image through downtown and riverfront revitalization; and, in 2010, the leader in the state for announced new and expanding businesses. Perhaps the

most important result of the Imagine a Greater Montgomery process has been the collective pursuit of a shared local vision. The process to develop the Imagine a Greater Montgomery II Economic Development Strategy assessed the progress made with the 2007-2011 Imagine plan, laying the groundwork for the next five-year planning cycle. Imagine a Greater Montgomery II continues the momentum and adds focus to ongoing and future efforts. The four pillars of the Imagine II, and the executive committee champions for each goal are listed below. The full Imagine II strategy is available at www.montgomerychamber.com/imagine2

CHAMPION EDUCATION AND DEVELOP COMPETITIVE REGIONAL TALENT Chamber Vice Chairman Arthur DuCote Regions Financial Corp.

II III

DIVERSIFY ECONOMIC GROWTH Chamber Vice Chairman Joe Hampton Alabama Gas Corp.

ACCELERATE REVITALIZATION AND IMPROVE QUALITY OF PLACE Chamber Vice Chairman Leslie Sanders Alabama Power Co.

BUILD COMMUNITY CAPACITY, ENGAGEMENT AND IMAGE Chamber Chairman-Elect Horace Horn PowerSouth Energy March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

“Without the Chamber, Montgomery would be struggling to attract new businesses, and watching the continued decay of our downtown core.” Peter Reynolds, Vice President/General Manager, Rheem Water Heaters

“The Chamber is keeping the American Dream alive for generation after generation. Without the leadership and creativity of the Chamber, we would not have seen Montgomery and the State of Alabama in such positive coverage on CNN.” Sylvia Harper, Vice President, Central Alabama OIC

“The Chamber is a true partner for the military community in the River Region. In large part because of the support of the Chamber in the areas of economic development and community outreach, the military mission continues strong in this area.” Lt. Gen. David Fadok, Commander and President of Air University at Maxwell Air Force Base

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

Downtown 7OV[VZ I` 1VU *VVR

G O E S U PTOW N

“The Chamber keeps me informed on macro economic trends so I can position my business appropriately, connects me with like-minded business people in the region to increase my influence, and increases my influence with our local, state and federal reps.”

Alley Station has it all. Chic, modern décor in a beautifully restored historical building. Downtown old Montgomery on the brand-new Alley. Old-fashioned service with state-of-the-art technology and fresh approaches to style. Traditional yet progressive.

Steve Goldsby, Chief Executive Officer, Integrated Computer Solutions

Beautiful Rooftop Terrace (Seats up to 350)

Stunning Ballroom (Seats up to 350) Freedom in choosing your own vendors Expert help throughout planning process

334 277 1077

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m a n a g e d b y pa r t n e r s r e a lt y

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

“The Chamber’s active recognition that there is a clear link between business and community success encourages programs and initiatives that better the lives of those in our community.” Leslie Sanders, Vice President Southern Division, Alabama Power Co.

“The Montgomery Chamber brings together all community constituents - business, governmental, political, education - to work together for the betterment of the River Region.” Arthur DuCote, Central Alabama Area President, Regions Financial Corp.

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

â&#x20AC;&#x153;The Chamber is a principal and hugely important player in the effort to recruit new businesses to our region, a catalyst to help area businesses grow and succeed and a creative influence to make the River Region a great place to live.â&#x20AC;? Jake F. Aronov, Chairman & CEO, Aronov Realty Management, Inc.

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

Member Profile

Bernell Mapp is CEO of Health Services Inc.

Taking Extra Care of the Community New River Region Health Center will reduce costly ER visits by Jennifer Kornegay

photography by Robert Fouts

While the two simple words â&#x20AC;&#x153;health careâ&#x20AC;? have become possibly the most-used words in much of the political debate across the nation in recent months, Health Services Inc. (HSI) has been diligently working to provide comprehensive primary care services at its 12 neighborhood health centers in the River Region.

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

Recently, some extra hard work paid off when HSI opened its newest center, River Region Health Center, adjacent to Jackson Hospital. HSI CEO Bernell Mapp explained the role the new facility will play. “It replaces our main facility, the Lister Hill clinic, and allows us to continue offering our services in a bigger, brand new space with updated equipment.” The 50,000-square-foot, two-story building is an impressivelooking structure, its exterior fashioned from walls of windows in a contemporary design. Inside, the classic hospital gray gets a rework, coming out cool, calm and soothing (instead of cold and institutional), and it’s also warmed with wood accents such as paneled ceilings as well as pops of color like lime green in the children’s wing. The multiple windows flood the space in natural light, and the simple lines of the furnishings are sparse yet comfy-looking. “We wanted to bring the outside in, so we used lots windows to provide sunlight for patients and staff,” Mapp said. “Of course patient flow and function really drove the design; we wanted it very simple.” They achieved that goal; its long, straight hallways lead to pods of specific services, eliminating the labyrinth effect. The center sits behind Jackson Hospital on a piece of land the hospital donated. “They know with us here, we will lessen their non-emergency ER visits,” Mapp said. The River Region Health Center will also reduce non-emergency traffic at Baptist Health’s ERs as well. While the shiny new center is drawing a lot of attention, HSI has been helping area patients live better, healthier lives for more than 30 years. In 1968, HSI opened its first free clinic in City Hall. From then up to 1981, it operated two clinics that were federally subsidized. Today, the federal Department of Health and Human Services provides the funding for community health center programs like those of HSI. HSI’s clinics differ from other primary care centers by offering a more comprehensive approach. “We offer primary care but also other specialties like an onsite pharmacy, OB/GYN, psychiatry, podiatry, an X-ray lab and dentistry, all at one site,” Mapp said. In addition, HSI clinics are accredited by the same organization that accredits hospitals, meaning they carry both ambulatory care and primary care accreditation, and its doctors are permanent staff, employees of HSI. Also setting it apart is the makeup of its board. “We are unique in that we are required to have a majority of our board members be users of our services,” Mapp said. “So we have direct input from the community on what is needed and how we are doing our job.”

Health Services Inc. Year founded

1968

Number of health centers

Number of employees

About 260

Another key distinction: No one is ever turned away from an HSI clinic because of their inability to pay or lack of insurance. “We do not deny anyone access to care, regardless of ability to pay,” Mapp said. “Other providers are limited to treating people with insurance; that is a critical difference.” Now, HSI can continue to move forward with its work in a state-ofthe-art facility that truly meets its and its patients’ needs. The ability to create the River Region Health Center came at just the right time, according to Mapp. “In the past DHHS has never provided funds to upgrade,” Mapp said. “They always wanted us using monies to provide care to patients, but with the stimulus, we had a one-time chance to upgrade our facilities and we jumped on it.” Mapp explained the importance of HSI. “Communities need to be in control of charting their own path for their overall health; it is better for everyone in the community when most of the residents are healthy,” he said. “There are populations here that don’t have ready access to primary care, and this includes people with and without insurance. Right now there are not enough primary care physicians to meet the need in most communities; centers like ours offer that increased access.” Through all of its health centers, HSI is currently serving more than 35,000 active patients. The River Region Health Center will serve approximately 26,000 patients a year and handle 80,000 medical and dental visits annually. A part of that service goes beyond reacting to a problem. The River Region Health Center will stress prevention in addition to treatment and management of chronic conditions. “Many health issues can be prevented,” Mapp said. “Through all of our centers and at the River Region Health Center, we want to hand our patients the skills and tools to take better care of themselves.” •

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

THE ROAD TO

REVENUE Officials unveil aggressive development projects by David Zaslawsky

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

Montgomery’s deputy mayor and director of development are constantly talking to retailers about opportunities in the city. “Retailers are telling us these days that they are refocusing their efforts at looking where they grow,” said Montgomery Deputy Mayor Jeff Downes. “In the past, retailers looked to the edge of town. Now, they are refocusing and saying, ‘where are there holes in the market? Where are there holes in an existing market where we can bring our commercial enterprise?’ Without fail, when they look at Montgomery, many retailers – real estate vice presidents of these companies – circle the area around the Atlanta Highway. There is a microscope on that area.” That is why the city scheduled an Atlanta Highway charrette, an intensive planning session in February and followed a highly successful script which has seen charrettes for other areas including downtown, Maxwell Boulevard, West Montgomery Initiative, West Fairview Avenue as well as plans for Oak Hill and Centennial Park areas. Downes pointed out that the Atlanta Highway corridor features “some great foundational pieces, including Faulkner University and its $25 million investment to buy property across the street and building a dinner-theater at the site. He said there also is an opportunity with the closing of Head School and the companion armory next to the school. “What we’re doing on Atlanta Highway is continuing some momentum we have had in many different areas,” Downes said. The city is also conducting a charrette for the Madison Avenue gateways. “This is an area with a lot of assets,” said Chad Emerson, director of development for the City of Montgomery. “This is going to be a real destination area.” Those assets are a renovated Cramton Bowl; a new, 90,000-plus square-foot multipurpose indoor sports facility; Paterson Field, Montgomery Armory and Montgomery Curb Market. “I think we are going to realize how much of a gem this is,” Emerson said.

Jeff Downes, deputy mayor, City of Montgomery

Tyler Caldwell, design studio coordinator, development department, City of Montgomery

The city has bought two properties on Madison Avenue and is working to acquire two more properties in the area. In addition to the two charrettes, the city announced it was accepting proposals for two sites: Skatepark and Montgomery Biscuits surface parking lot. The Skatepark will be relocated and that site across from the Renaissance Montgomery Hotel & Spa at the Convention Center “is a great mixed-use property right in the heart of downtown,” Emerson said. The parking lot became available when an apartment complex project fell through. “We think those are two properties ideally suited to meet the unmet residential and retail demand we have for downtown,” Emerson said. Studies have concluded that there is demand for about 3,000 residential units downtown and 300,000-plus square feet of retail space. During the 2012 Development Preview at One Dexter Plaza, officials announced the Riverwalk Public Art Competition for an outdoor sculpture at Overlook Park. Meanwhile, work is continuing on Overlook Park. “Once completed this park will be a vastly different asset,” said Tyler Caldwell, design studio coordinator for the development department. “It will be a place of leisure and a more appropriate place for leisure than it is now for the residents of Cottage Hill; for the future residents of Maxwell Boulevard as well as the businesses and future businesses of Maxwell Boulevard,” Caldwell said.

Chad Emerson, director of development, City of Montgomery

about all the projects going on throughout the city. But there is one project that he has thrown himself into: revitalizing the old Montgomery Mall. The city did buy the old Steve & Barry’s location, paying $400,000 for 180,000 square feet. Some of that space will be used as a permanent site for a fire station and a police presence. The fire station has been operating out of a 30-year-old double-wide trailer. Strange said there is enough space to add emergency medical capability. The building will also contain an indoor walking track and meeting space for the community and that still leaves about 100,000 square feet. A church has a verbal agreement on another piece of the old mall. Strange said some possible tenants could be a public health clinic and a library branch. “You have to seize the moment,” Strange said. “You have to take the opportunity when it presents itself.” He said he has been criticized because so many projects are being worked on simultaneously. “Some people give us a lot of criticism because we are working downtown, but I would submit to you – you show me a city that doesn’t have a great, vibrant downtown and I’ll show you a city’s that’s dying. “We are not trying to be a developer. What we are trying to do is bridge the gap or prime the pump to be able to turn properties that are vacant, dilapidated and just sucking us dry into revenue-producing properties.” •

Montgomery Mayor Todd Strange said that sometimes “my mind goes numb” thinking

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

Member News

Business Buzz Treadwell received an unexpected honor when he was named the first recipient of the St. James Plate, an award presented by the board of directors of the International Society of Pediatric Wound Care for contributions to the treatment of children with wounds.

by NACVA, the candidate is required to successfully complete an intensive training and testing process.

Ashley Taylor

Christy Weakley

JACKSON THORNTON EMPLOYEES RECEIVE ACCREDITATIONS MONTGOMERY – Jackson Thornton employees Ashley Taylor and Christy Weakley recently received prestigious accreditations. Taylor received a designation of certified valuation analyst (CVA) and Weakley received a designation of certified fraud examiner (CFE). Taylor, who works in the firm’s business valuation and litigation consulting group, successfully completed the certification process with the National Association of

An initial requirement to becoming a certified valuation analyst is that the applicant be a licensed certified public accountant registered in his or her state and obtain at least 12 hours of CPE each year in areas related to business valuation and/or litigation consulting. Taylor received a bachelor’s degree in accounting and a master’s degree in business administration from Auburn University at Montgomery. Weakley successfully completed the certification process with the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners (ACFE). To become accredited by ACFE, the candidate is required to successfully complete an intensive training and testing process in four key areas: fraudulent financial transactions, legal elements of fraud, investigation methods, and fraud prevention and deterrence. Weakley received a bachelor’s degree in accounting from Auburn University and a master’s degree in business administration from Troy University. She works in Jackson Thornton’s health care consulting group.

Certified Valuation Analysts (NACVA). To become accredited

Donna Walker

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

Terry Treadwell

BAPTIST SOUTH DOCTOR HONORED AT INTERNATIONAL WOUND CARE EVENT MONTGOMERY – Dr. Terry Treadwell and staff from the Institute for Advanced Wound Care at Baptist South were invited to present their work at a symposium in Rome. Treadwell, medical director of the institute, spoke on a variety of topics at the inaugural International Symposium on Pediatric Wound Care at the St. Thomas Aquinas Seminary. Donna Walker, a nurse at the institute, was invited to present two posters demonstrating the work done by the facility in the treatment of children with wounds.

Treadwell is the president of the Association for the Advancement of Wound Care, the largest multidisciplinary wound care organization in the United States. He is also the vice president of the World Health Organization wound committee, the World Alliance of Wound and Lymphedema Care. He is currently working with new wound centers in Accra, Ghana, Africa and Port-au-Prince, Haiti. As a worldwide training center for international health care providers, Treadwell and the Institute for Advanced Wound Care have hosted physicians and nurses from Africa, Haiti, Mexico and Chile. LOCAL PUBLIC RELATIONS CHAPTER ELECTS BOARD OF DIRECTORS MONTGOMERY – The Montgomery Chapter of the Public Relations Council of Alabama announced the election of their 2012 board of directors. Chapter president – Diane Christy; president elect – Melissa George Bowman; secretary –

Kristi Gates; treasurer – Amy Odom; historian – Buffy Lockette; vice president of membership – Meg Lewis; vice president of program – Mark Ingram; vice president of projects – Tiffany Bell; vice president of communications – Cindy Scott; vice president of education/ accreditation – Nancy Dennis; vice president of students – Melody Kitchen; member-at-large – Victoria Belton; past president & ethics chair – Lara Lewis; board adviser – Carol Gunter; board adviser – Lori Moneyham. The Public Relations Council of Alabama was established to unite those engaged in the practice of public relations in promoting and maintaining high standards of public service and conduct; and exchanging ideas and experiences, and collecting and disseminating information of value to public relations practitioners and the public. The Montgomery Chapter meets at 11:45 a.m. on the second Tuesday of each month at the Montgomery Country Club.

2008. She has owned and operated Jo Glenn Cleaners in Wetumpka for 25 years. “It is an honor for me to serve as the 2012 president of the Montgomery Area Association of Realtors,” Glenn said. “My goal is to represent my fellow Realtors and our association with dignity and respect and to make the Montgomery Area Association of Realtors the source for real estate information in the River Region.” The Montgomery Area Association of Realtors was established in 1947 and represents more than 1,200 real estate professionals in Montgomery, Autauga, Elmore and Lowndes counties.

MONTGOMERY – Former Wetumpka Mayor Jo Glenn was recently installed as the 2012 president of the Montgomery Area Association of Realtors. Glenn has been a Realtor since 2001 and is with Alfa Realty in Wetumpka. She served as Wetumpka mayor from 1996 to 2000 and from 2004 to

Space at One Commerce Street

On-site parking spaces Beautifully appointed Conference Room with Video Equipment Convenient first floor Sundry Shop Ralph Ioimo

MONTGOMERY – The Alabama Commission on Higher Education has approved a new master’s degree program in homeland security and emergency management at Auburn University Montgomery.

FORMER WETUMPKA MAYOR NAMED PRESIDENT OF REALTORS’ GROUP

office

E xt r a o r d i n a ry

AUM OFFERS MASTER’S DEGREE IN HOMELAND SECURITY

Jo Glenn

lease

The only program of its kind in Alabama, it will train students to develop the skills needed to prepare for and respond to threats in their communities. “It’s a topic that affects everyone’s lives,” said Ralph Ioimo, head of the AUM Department of Justice and Public Safety. “Terrorism and other threats are real in today’s world, and this program will enhance the work of first responders (Continued on page 50)

Environment In the city’s best location and at the heart of downtown growth and redevelopment 16,000 sf of contiguous space per floor High-speed fiber-optic cabling

On-site Fitness Facility On-site banking with ServisFirst Bank Superior construction, interior finishes and surroundings

On-site maintenance, controlled access and air conditioned storage available In walking distance to hotels, restaurants and shopping

Leasing opportunities from

200 sf up to 22,000 sf are currently available.

For more information visit cfcoffice.com

Contact Scott Harris

3 3 4 . 2 7 7. 1 0 0 0

s c o t t . h a r r i s @ a r o n o v. c o m aronovcommercial.com

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

BUSINESS BUZZ (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 49) and others to mitigate the impact of such threats.” Students in the program will learn from real-world professionals, including law enforcement, military, Secret Service and the U.S. Marshals Service. “We have real professionals teaching these courses,” Ioimo said. “And because we offer the options of completing the program entirely online or through a hybrid course of study online and in classrooms, it’s really accessible to the non-traditional student.”

“I am honored to be selected as one of the recipients of The Hearing Review’s Best of 2011 Hearing Healthcare Professionals,” Borton said. “My staff and I work tirelessly to ensure that we do everything possible to provide our patients and their families with successful hearing solutions, individually designed to meet their unique lifestyle needs. “It is exceptionally gratifying to receive this award, and I am extremely proud of the audiologists and staff members on the DHC team.”

we serve stay a top priority in all aspects of our business to create a solid foundation and continuous growth.” The only other banks mentioned in the “East” category were from South Carolina and Washington D.C. Birmingham-based ServisFirst Bank, which began operations in 2005, has branches in Huntsville, Dothan and Pensacola, Florida. The bank has topped $2.2 billion in assets.

No prerequisite plan of study is required and students may enter the program year-round. For information, contact Lisa Zanglin at (334) 244-3609 or lzanglin@aum.edu. John Wieland

Carl Barker

BANKNEWS MAGAZINE RECOGNIZES SERVISFIRST BANK

Bettie Borton

BORTON RECEIVES AWARD FROM AUDIOLOGISTS’ ORGANIZATION MONTGOMERY – Dr. Bettie Borton recently received The Hearing Review’s Best of 2011 Hearing Healthcare Professionals award. The Hearing Review recognizes 165 audiologists, along with others affiliated with the hearing health care industry nationwide, who “exemplify quality care ... and go ‘above and beyond’ with outstanding individuals, practices, and facilities” to serve the needs of people with hearing impairment. Borton, CEO of Doctors Hearing Clinic, is a board certified audiologist with more than 30 years of experience.

BIRMINGHAM – ServisFirst Bank has been recognized by BankNews magazine as a top-performing bank in the U.S. and praised for its continued success in a difficult economy. Leaders of community banking from all over the country were interviewed in the article “Hitting Performance Targets in an Off-Target Economy.” ServisFirst Bank, which has a branch in Montgomery, was named a top bank in the Eastern United States. “It is an honor to be recognized nationally and amongst our peers for our performance,” said Carl Barker, president of ServisFirst Bank in Montgomery. “As BankNews states, ServisFirst Bank focuses on relationships, which are a cornerstone to our business model. Our shareholders, customers, employees and the communities

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

AWARD-WINNING BUILDER JOINS THE WATERS

to new home buyers there,” said Wieland, the company founder and CEO. “And what better place than The Waters? It is a one-of-a-kind neighborhood, truly a special place, and we’re excited to be a part of it.” Widely recognized as one of the Southeast’s leading builders in new home design and quality, Wieland boasts four decades of homebuilding experience. “We are excited to have John Wieland Homes as a part of our new home community,” said Jennifer Atkins, vice president of New Waters Realty. “John Wieland Homes is one of the country’s premier homebuilders and has a reputation for building beautiful and high-quality homes.” For information on Wieland homes at The Waters, call (334) 272-3200 or visit jwhomes.com/thewaters.

ATLANTA – John Wieland Homes and Neighborhoods is building homes at The Waters in Pike Road. Wieland’s first homes at The Waters will range from 2,250 square feet to more than 2,775 square feet and will be priced from the $300,000s. In addition, Wieland will offer custom homebuilding services in The Waters for homes up to $1 million or more. All Wieland homebuyers at The Waters will also enjoy access to Wieland’s 10,000-squarefoot New Home Design Studio for convenient one-stop shopping among thousands of options to personalize their new home, inside and out, with the assistance of a dedicated designer. “We’re excited to begin construction for the first time in the Montgomery/Pike Road area and to bring our commitment to excellence, quality and service

Montgomery Area Non-traditional Equestrians Executive Director Bettie Borton accepts the 2012 MAX Community Achievement Award from MAX Credit Union President and CEO Greg McClellan.

MONTGOMERY AREA NONTRADITIONAL EQUESTRIANS RECEIVES MAX COMMUNITY ACHIEVEMENT AWARD MONTGOMERY – Montgomery Area Nontraditional Equestrians (MANE) received the 2012 MAX Community Achievement Award. MANE was presented the award for its efforts to provide safe and therapeutic horseback riding opportunities for area children and adults with emotional, physical, cognitive and developmental disabilities.

BUSINESS BUZZ The staff, volunteers and therapy horses at MANE provide help and hope for many people in the River Region. MANE’s new 44-acre facility in Pike Road features an outdoor riding ring, 12-stall barn with indoor arena, 3-acre state-of-theart sensory integration trail and program administration space. MANE schedules four separate riding sessions per year and serves 100 riders each week. “MANE’s vision of providing fun and creative therapeutic resources for individuals with disabilities is truly making a difference in our community,” said MAX Credit Union President and CEO Greg McClellan. “In its 18 years of serving others, MANE has touched hundreds of lives, giving many a feeling of hope for the very first time.” MANE is the ninth recipient of the MAX award. SCALE BACK ALABAMA CAMPAIGN ENDS IN MARCH MONTGOMERY – The Scale Back Alabama campaign is now six years old and has resulted in nearly 760,000 pounds lost and healthier lifestyles for thousands. More than 30 medical conditions are associated with obesity, including heart disease and diabetes, but adopting a healthy lifestyle can lower the risk of developing such diseases. The current 10-week long campaign is scheduled to end March 31. “Scale Back Alabama has been the catalyst for thousands of people across the state to increase their physical activity and incorporate nutritious food into their diets,” said Donald Jones, Scale Back Alabama chairman and administrator of Marion Regional Medical Center in Hamilton. “It’s great to see Alabamians taking charge of their health and embracing healthier lifestyles.”

Scale Back Alabama is sponsored by the Alabama Hospital Association and the Alabama Department of Public Health, and BlueCross and BlueShield of Alabama is heavily involved. “Programs like Scale Back Alabama highlight the necessity of making healthy choices,” said Dr. Donald Williamson, state health officer. “Even small changes can have a huge impact on an individual’s weight and overall health.”

offering a Coursework to Career Internship Program (CCIP). The program enables high school seniors and college students with concentrated studies in information technology and/ or project management to apply coursework theories and learned skills in a professional environment. Students must meet the basic application prerequisites to apply for the program. Once selected, CTE identifies the student’s area of interest in the fields of IT and project management and provides the students with career guidance and industry development. Certified Technical Experts has an office at the Montgomery Area Chamber of Commerce’s Small Business Resource Center.

Jerome T. Moore III

MOORE APPOINTED TO PRESTIGIOUS BOARD MONTGOMERY – Jerome T. Moore III of Coldwell Banker Commercial (CBC) Moore Co. Realty has recently been appointed as a member of the company’s prestigious National Advisory Board. He will represent the Southeast region during his three-year term. The board is comprised of a select group of CBC affiliate owners nationwide and currently there are 10 members. The board convenes regularly during the year, providing ongoing guidance and recommendations to Coldwell Banker Commercial on issues of overall corporate and regional strategies. COMPANY OFFERS INTERNSHIP PROGRAM TO STUDENTS MONTGOMERY – Certified Technical Experts (CTE) is

Scott McNelley

ADMIRAL MOVERS’ MCNELLEY JOINS COMMERCIAL RELOCATION NETWORK SEATTLE – The Commercial Relocation Network (CRN) has welcomed new member Scott McNelley of Admiral Movers. All CRN members must be able to provide specialized commercial relocation services, programs, equipment and solutions that are competitive within the industry. Members must also participate in various activities throughout the year to ensure ongoing professional development and industry leadership. The CRN is a North American organization, which is comprised of more than 50 top-tier commercial moving and storage companies.

“Being invited to join CRN is recognition of the new member’s abilities and performance,” said CRN chairman Steve Komorous of the King Companies. “Scott and Admiral Movers have demonstrated they are of the caliber needed to be a part of CRN and we are glad to welcome them into the group.” McNelley started Montgomerybased Admiral Movers 23 years ago as an office moving company and has led it through several phases of growth. Today, Admiral is an agent for Mayflower Transit and performs local, long distance and international residential moves. SYNOVUS BANK, STERLING BANK RECEIVE 11 NATIONAL AWARDS COLUMBUS, Ga. – Synovus Bank and Sterling Bank, a division of Synovus Bank, were recently honored with 11 awards. The banks received national awards from the 2011 Greenwich Associates Excellence in Middle Market and Small Business Banking program. Out of 750 banks from across the country that were evaluated and eligible for this recognition, only 43 earned national excellence awards in 2011. In the Middle Market Banking segment, Synovus Bank and Sterling Bank were recognized in four national categories: overall satisfaction, relationship manager performance, customer service and treasury management. In addition to the four national awards, Synovus Bank and Sterling Bank were also honored with two Middle Market South Regional awards for overall customer satisfaction and treasury management. In the Small Business Banking category, Synovus Bank and Sterling Bank received seven national awards: overall (Continued on page 52)

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

BUSINESS BUZZ (CONTINUED FROM PAGE 51) satisfaction, personal banking, relationship management performance, credit policy, branch satisfaction, treasury management and customer service. In the South Regional segment, Synovus Bank and Sterling Bank were recognized for overall customer satisfaction and treasury management.

p.m. Monday-Saturday. The service department is open 7 a.m.-6 p.m. Monday-Friday and 7 a.m.-4 p.m. Saturday. The dealer’s website is www. classicmontgomery.net.

MONTGOMERY – The UAB Montgomery Family Clinic received a $10,000 grant from the Working Women’s Home Association of Montgomery. Paul Hankins

Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities adds 15th member

CLASSIC BUICK GMC CADILLAC NAMED TOP DEALER IN STATE MONTGOMERY – Local car dealer Classic Buick GMC Cadillac was ranked No. 1 in the state for sales. It was the No. 1 GMC dealer and the No. 1 Buick GMC dealer for Alabama in 2011. General Motors Buick GMC representative Jim Bright presented a framed copy of the two awards to Classic Buick GMC General Manager Dean Vette. “I’m exceptionally proud of the whole team here at Classic Buick GMC Cadillac,” Vette said. “Our sales force and finance staff put forth extraordinary effort to reach these sales goals. We’re also proud of the contributions of the rest of the team here – from the parts and service department to the office staff – who helped make this possible by making our customers their top priority.” Classic Buick GMC Cadillac, located at 833 Eastern Boulevard, is open 9 a.m.-8

For information about Tuskegee University visit www.tuskegee.edu. UAB Montgomery Family Clinic Receives $10,000 Grant

Sterling Bank operates four branches in the Montgomery and Prattville markets.

General Motors Buick GMC representative Jim Bright (right) presents awards to Classic Buick GMC Cadillac General Manager Dean Vette.

AAICU’s member colleges and universities educate nearly 23,000 students.

MONTGOMERY – The Board of Directors for the Alabama Association of Independent Colleges and Universities (AAICU) voted to extend membership to Tuskegee University. With the addition of Tuskegee, AAICU represents 15 private colleges and universities across the state. Membership in AAICU is limited to independent, nonprofit, regionally accredited colleges in Alabama. “We are pleased to include Tuskegee among our membership,” said AAICU President Paul Hankins. “They bring an incredible history to our organization and we look forward to working for them to further their legacy of serving students from across our state and nation.” Tuskegee University, through its seven colleges and schools and centers of excellence, offers a curriculum that includes courses in engineering, natural and physical sciences, health sciences, business and computer science, aviation science, social sciences, education, and fine and performing arts.

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

Social worker Kimberly Clark of the Montgomery Family Clinic accepted the grant from Winnie Stakely, president of the Working Women’s Home Association of Montgomery. The association distributes grant monies each January to agencies whose projects aid women, children and the elderly. The UAB Montgomery Family Clinic, established in 1998, is a collaborative effort of the UAB Health Center Montgomery and the Division of Pediatric Infectious Disease at Children’s Hospital in Birmingham. Staffed by nurses, social workers, peer advocates, and infectious disease specialists, the clinic strives to provide comprehensive care to women infected with HIV and their affected families. COMMUTESMART HELPS CONNECT DRIVERS Alabama’s rideshare program called commutesmart (www. commutesmart.org) is an online tool that helps commuters in areas of Alabama find alternatives to driving alone. Users can create free, secure accounts to search for carpool and/or a vanpool based on their starting and destination points, work hours, and preferences. Participants can also sign up for Guaranteed Ride Home service

to access a free taxi ride home in case of an emergency. Commutesmart is a publicly funded commuter-matching service currently for anyone who lives, works or attends school in the Montgomery area. The service informs people about less expensive and environmentally friendly commuting alternatives. Commutesmart also helps employers develop alternative transportation programs. For information, visit www. commutesmart.org or contact the Energy Division of the Alabama Department of Economic and Community Affairs at (334) 353-4380. PFMI ACQUIRES ALLSTATE MECHANICAL MONTGOMERY – PFMI announced the acquisition of a Florida-based HVAC service firm. Montgomery-based PFMI acquired AllState Mechanical Inc., which has been operating in Florida since 1985. The company currently is servicing air conditioning and heating in 650-plus commercial locations. Steve Nadler, the previous owner, will remain with the company. PFMI is a total facility maintenance provider of services including HVAC, landscaping, housekeeping, repair and maintenance, special projects, adverse weather preparation and response, and lighting, and provides these services throughout the United States, Puerto Rico and British Columbia. PFMI, which has been in business since 1989, employs more than 800 hundred fulltime employees. PFMI’s family of services includes Facility Repair Services, US Lawns, KEMCO Facilities Services and AllState Mechanical. •

Members on the Move JACKSON HOSPITAL ANNOUNCES INTERIM CEO, ASSISTANT VP

Richard Caldwell

MONTGOMERY – Jackson Hospital announced that Chief Operating Officer Richard Caldwell will be interim CEO following Don Henderson’s departure.

The hospital also announced that Jason Fogg has been Jason Fogg hired as assistant vice president of performance improvement. Caldwell joined the Jackson Hospital staff in 2005 as vice president of professional services. He is responsible for information services, laboratory, radiology, plant operations, biomedical engineering, physical therapy, wound care, security and the Jackson Imaging Center. In this position, he led a $20 million implementation of the McKesson system and the construction of free-standing ambulatory surgery and imaging centers, as well as the design, construction, and operation of Central Alabama’s only hyperbaric oxygen treatment center. “I am thrilled and honored to be given the opportunity to take the helm of Jackson Hospital,” Caldwell said. “This is especially true given that these are simultaneously some of the most challenging yet exciting times the health care industry has ever seen.”

where he held the position of vice president of clinical operations. In that position, he was responsible for launching the orthopedic joint center, managing annual expense budgets, and establishing product lines for orthopedic, burn radiology and cardiology services. He also spearheaded the joint commission disease specific certification teams for burns as well as for hip and joint. Fogg has a master’s degree in public administration from Troy University and a bachelor’s degree in nursing from the Medical College of Georgia in Augusta.

GUARDIAN CREDIT UNION HIRES COMPLIANCE SPECIALIST, CALL CENTER MANAGER

Amber Hood

MONTGOMERY – Amber Hood and Mandy Lee have joined Guardian Credit Union.

Hood was hired as the compliance specialist and brings years of experience in the fields of Mandy Lee compliance, operations and lending within the financial services industry. She will be responsible for overseeing all compliance-related areas pertaining to the credit union.

Caldwell received a master’s degree in administration and management from Hood College in Frederick, Maryland, and a bachelor’s degree in computer science from the University of Central Texas in Killen, Texas.

Lee, a graduate of Troy University with a bachelor’s degree in banking and finance, is Guardian’s new call center manager. She has 15 years of experience in the financial services industry, spanning departments such as branch, internal help desk, call center, investments and compliance. She will manage call center representatives responsible for fielding all member calls and assisting members with their financial requests.

Fogg was recently employed by Regional Medical Center in Memphis, Tennessee,

Guardian Credit Union has branches in Montgomery and Prattville.

PENN & SEABORN ANNOUNCE NEW PARTNER

John William Partin

UNION SPRINGS – John William Partin has been named a partner in the law firm of Penn & Seaborn, LLC.

Partin, who has been with the firm for several years, has worked in numerous cases involving personal injury, wrongful death, products liability and criminal defense. He graduated from the Jones School of Law at Faulkner University and was admitted to the Alabama State Bar in 2003. The law firm has offices in Union Springs and Clayton.

EASTDALE MALL HIRES MARKETING DIRECTOR MONTGOMERY – Elizabeth Williams has been named marketing director for Eastdale Mall. Williams is responsible for all marketing/ advertising, public relations, sponsorships and retailer relations for the 900,000plus square-foot mall, which features 90 retailers and eateries. The mall is anchored by JC Penney, Sears, Belk and Dillard’s. “We welcome Elizabeth to the Eastdale Mall team and look forward to enhancing our marketing programs while utilizing her experience and enthusiasm,” said David Schloss, general manager of Eastdale Mall. Prior to joining Eastdale Mall, Williams served as a member of Alabama Gov. Robert Bentley’s communications office. In addition, she was the senior public support specialist for the American Red Cross of Central Alabama, coordinating media relations, development and marketing initiatives for the non-profit agency. (Continued on page 54)

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

(Continued From page 53)

A native of Montgomery, Williams received her bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of Alabama.

WHITNEY BANK ANNOUNCES NEW BRANCH MANAGER MONTGOMERY – Michael Pressley has been named the Michael Pressley branch manager for the Whitney Bank location on Taylor Road. “Michael brings 10 years of award-winning banking and business development experience within the Montgomery and Birmingham regions,” said Carol P. Reynolds, manager of Whitney Bank’s retail division. Pressley, who graduated from Huntingdon College in 2002, will be responsible for all banking operations and sales efforts at the Taylor Road branch.

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Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

Hancock Holding Co., the parent company of Hancock Bank and Whitney Bank, operates nearly 300 bank branches in Mississippi, Alabama, Louisiana, Texas and Florida.

ALIANT BANK NAMES CREEL SENIOR VP MONTGOMERY – Aliant Bank has announced that Ron Creel has been named as the Ron Creel bank’s senior lending officer and senior vice president for the Montgomery area. Creel, who has more than 17 years of commercial banking experience, formerly served as vice president at Aliant Bank. Creel will now lead Aliant’s River Region commercial lending team.

of the Montgomery market are great assets in Aliant’s business development efforts and community affairs work.” Creel will work closely with Montgomery regional president Rob Hertenstein to grow the bank by making more business loans in the River Region, which includes seven Montgomery-area retail branch locations. “We are busy letting Montgomery-area business owners know that we are eager to help growing companies with their banking and capital needs,” Hertenstein said. “Ron has an excellent track record in helping business customers in this regard, and we are pleased that he is taking a larger role in helping us drive these efforts.” Aliant Financial Corp., the holding company of Aliant Bank, is a $1 billion community bank with 15 offices statewide. •

“We are very pleased that Ron will be serving Aliant’s clients in a larger role,” said Aliant CEO Harlan C. Parrish. “His banking experience and knowledge

RIBBON CUTTINGS & GROUND BREAKINGS

HERE WE GROW AGAIN

Montgomery AIDS Outreach 2900 McGehee Road, Montgomery, AL 36111 334-280-3349 www.maoi.org Michelle Vilamaa-CEO Community Services/Agencies

Wing City 701 Madison Avenue, Montgomery, AL 36104 334-819-4100 www.wingcity.com Daileen Carter-Williams-Owner Restaurants-Fast Food

Starkey Mortgage 8101 Seaton Place, Suite B, Montgomery, AL 36116 334-213-2537 Lori Harris-Branch Manager Mortgage/Finance

Ciao Bella Boutique 213 Commerce Street, Montgomery, AL 36104 334-356-1412 www.ciaobellamulberry.com Cassandra Crosby-McCullough - Owner Clothing & Accessories-Retail

Commerce Street Soda Shop 15 Commerce Street, Montgomery, AL 36104 334-262-8282 Drue Fortune-Owner, Harvey Fuller-Owner Restaurants

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

New Members Apartments Azalea Hill Apartments Stephanie K. Smith 5801 E. Shirley Lane Montgomery, AL 36117 334-270-8700 The Grand Reserve Pike Road Evelyn Forston 160 Stone Park Boulevard Pike Road, AL 36124 334-277-8770

Associations/ Non-Profit Goodwill Industries Donation Center Gary Oos 2779 Bell Road Montgomery, AL 36117 334-323-0260 Goodwill Industries Store & Donation Center Gary Oos 5326 Atlanta Highway Montgomery, AL 36109 334-215-1723 Goodwill Industries Store & Donation Center Gary Oos 155 West Main Street Prattville, AL 36067 334-365-5662 Joy To Life Foundation Richard Blondheim P.O. Box 241172 Montgomery, AL 36124-1172 334-284-5433

Banks First Tuskegee Bank Kristin Lett 3900 Eastdale Circle Montgomery, AL 36117 334-277-7001

Churches/Ministries Centerpoint Fellowship Church John Schmidt 2050 Commerce Street Millbrook, AL 36054-4212 334-356-3076

Clothing & Accessories-Retail Ciao Bella Boutique Cassandra Crosby-McCullough 213 Commerce Street Montgomery, AL 36104 334-356-1412 Goody’s Ronny Miley 2596 Eastern Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36117 334-395-9881

ComputersSoftware/Hardware/ Consulting Teksouth Corp Dusty Rhodes 715 Turkey Trail Wetumpka, AL 36093 334-514-1587

Construction H & H Construction Alec Martin 1430 Blairwood Montgomery, AL 36106 334-312-0111 Morris Builders, LLC Jimmy Morris Jr 226 Easy Street Prattville, AL 36067 334-430-1048

Domestic Violence Assistance Mee Two Corporation Bridgett A. Blakely 3960 Eastern Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36116 1-888-241-6553 Ext 706

Foundation Ram Jack Foundation Specialists Ted Pinckney 13387 Edna Brake Lucas Drive Montgomery, AL 36117 334-271-5225

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

Framing/Art/Gifts Baker’s Framing & Art Supplies Jason Baker 405 Coliseum Boulevard Montgomery, AL 36109 334-277-5023

Generators Central Energy Solutions Danny Griffin 705 Venable Road Wetumpka, AL 36092 334-296-1640

Heating & Air Conditioning Services PerfecTemp Heating & Air Conditioning, Inc. James Grant 4131 Carmichael Road, Suite 17 Montgomery, AL 36106 334-398-0475

Home Health Services Montgomery Elderly Personal Care Service Jackie Banks 3236 Covered Bridge Drive Montgomery, AL 36116 334-590-5274

Hotels/MotelsExtended Stay Home-Towne Suites Abigail Wright 688 Summit Parkway Prattville, AL 36066 334-358-9004

Interior Design Ashley Gilbreath Interior Design Ashley Gilbreath 514 Cloverdale Road, #E & F Montgomery, AL 36106 334-262-3231

Rose of Sharon Sharon Wilson 1721 West 2nd Street Montgomery, AL 36106 334-281-9775

Marketing/Marketing Research inMontgomery Media Group Chris D. Thomas 1614 South Decatur Street Montgomery, AL 36104 334-221-1313

Mortgage/Finance Cadence Mortgage Shelly Nickles 8138 Seaton Place Montgomery, AL 36116 334-213-2631

Supreme Lending Donna Young 6987 Halcyon Park Drive Montgomery, AL 36117 334-245-7642

Music Production/ Recording Titanium Music Productions Group, Inc. Lisa Perkins 20 Sandy Springs Drive Wetumpka, AL 36092 334-213-3034

Photographers Image Masters Photography & Video Productions Darren Freeman 801 Gibbs Road Pike Road, AL 36064 334-215-7827

Polyethylene Bags Hercules Poly, Inc. Robert L. Price P.O. Box 240520 Eclectic, AL 36024 334-541-3525

Public Relations Matter Creative Studio Anna Lowder 505 Cloverdale Road, Unit 104 Montgomery, AL 36106 334-625-9361

Publications River Region Health & Fitness Jenny Stubbs 1521 Chapel Road Wetumpka, AL 36092 334-451-4524 School Talk, Inc. Bill Merical P.O. Box 1127 Tupelo, MS 38802 662-790-3513

Publishing Companies

Real EstateCommercial/ Investments

Hatton-Brown Publishers, Inc. Dianne C. Sullivan P.O. Box 2268 Montgomery, AL 36102-2268 334-834-1170

Sweet P’s Eats & Treats Kadra Parkman 11775 Troy Highway Pike Road, AL 36064 334-288-4900

Alabama Commercial Real Estate LLC Julie Watson 321 North Hull Street Montgomery, AL 36104 334-625-8262

Real Estate-Broker

Telecommunications LEK Technology Group, LLC Erik Lubinger 1845 Glynwood Drive Prattville, AL 36066 334-365-1903

Montgomery Colonial Property, LLC Larry Crain 25 Sologne Circle Little Rock, AR 72223 501-529-9550

FMJ Realty Frank Johnston 1821 Pine Needle Road Montgomery, AL 36106 334-546-3146

Real EstateCommercial/ Industrial

Tutoring Services Kumon Math and Reading Center of MontgomerySoutheast Dipti Patel 8125 Vaughn Road Montgomery, AL 36116 334-649-1178

Restaurants

Colonial Commercial Realty, Inc. Joshua K. Lowder 5251 Hampstead High St. - #205 Montgomery, AL 36116 334-270-6728

Choppers Restaruant Frederick D. Brown 3457 McGhee Road Montgomery, AL 36111 334-649-1552

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March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

What’s shakin’? Readers of the Montgomery Business Journal know first. In part, that’s because they’re often the movers and shakers themselves. They know that the MBJ is the place to be for indepth interviews, industry news, and spotlights on promotions and new hires. And they know that only Chamber members can advertise here. With such a powerful platform, it won’t take much for you to get their attention – especially when you can advertise in these pages for as low as $750 for a half-page, full-color ad. Get your message across instantly to elected officials, CEOs and other business leaders in the River Region. For advertising information visit www.montgomerychamber.com/ads, email mbjsales@montgomerychamber.com, or call Linda Drumheller at 334-240-9494.

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

Economic Intel

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

ABCI and Component Indexes by Area, First Quarter 2012 ALABAMA

MONTGOMERY

BIRMINGHAM

HUNTSVILLE

MOBILE

National Economy

46.5

52.0

48.5

42.3

43.4

Alabama Economy

52.0

58.8

53.4

49.0

8.0

Industry Sales

55.6

56.8

58.6

50.3

57.2

Industry Profits

50.2

52.7

53.7

45.8

49.3

Industry Hiring

50.0

53.4

50.4

47.8

50.0

Capital Expenditures

50.6

52.0

51.5

46.5

49.3

ABCI

50.8

54.3

52.7

47.0

49.6

Center for Business and Economic Reseasrch, The University of Alabama. ABCI â&#x201E;¢; Index above 50 indicates expansion. Index below 50 indicates contraction.

Sales Tax Collections JANUARY 2012

JANUARY 2011

Year over Year % Change

YTD 2012

YTD 2011

Year over Year % Change

Montgomery County

$3,914,303

$3,853,759

1.57%

$3,914,303

$3,853,759

1.57%

City of Montgomery

$8,931,119

$9,075,610

-1.59%

$8,931,119

$9,075,610

-1.59%

Pike Road

$152,593

$198,237

-23.02%

$152,593

$198,237

-23.02%

Autauga County

$729,971

$707,199

3.22%

$729,971

$707,199

3.22%

$2,204,777

$1,599,646

37.83%

$2,204,777

$1,599,646

37.83%

Elmore County

$459,419

$453,968

1.20%

$459,419

$453,968

1.20%

Wetumpka

$524,500

$523,835

0.13%

$524,500

$523,835

0.13%

Prattville

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.

Montgomery Metro Market Home Sales DECEMBER 2011

NOVEMBER 2011

Month/Month % Change

DECEMBER 2010

Year/Year % Change

Statewide DECEMBER 2011

Median Price

$124,500

$132,000

-5.68%

$130,100

-4.30%

$116,122

Average Price

$140,796

$141,468

-0.48%

$147,657

-4.65%

$136,447

Units Listed

2631

2768

-4.95%

2999

-12.27%

32,262

Months of Supply

11.5

13.1

-12.21%

13.8

-16.67%

11.2

Total # Sales

228

211

8.06%

217

5.07%

2,875

Days on Market

5.32%

10.00%

150

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

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

Montgomery Regional Airport JANUARY 2012

JANUARY 2011

Year over Year % Change

YTD 2012

YTD 2011

Year over Year % Change

947

967

-2.1%

947

967

-2.1%

Total Operations

4,918

4,565

7.7%

4,918

4,565

7.7%

Enplanements

12,441

13,157

-5.4%

12,441

13,157

-5.4%

Deplanements

13,316

13,487

-1.3%

13,316

13,487

-1.3%

Total Passengers

25,757

26,644

-3.3%

25,757

26,644

-3.3%

Air Carrier Operations

Source: Montgomery Regional Airport (MGM) Dannelly Field

Airline Fares Destination

Montgomery

Birmingham

Atlanta

Baltimore (BWI)

$266

$313

$230

Boston (BOS)

$338

$340

$277

Charlotte, NC (CLT)

$158

Chicago (ORD)

$340

$333

$234

Cincinnati (CVG)

$404

$335

$256

Dallas/Ft Worth (QDF)

$379

$324

$237

Denver (DEN)

$370

$398

$222

Detroit (DTW)

$334

$373

$265

Houston (HOU)

$386

$315

$262

Indianapolis (IND)

$309

$353

$218

Las Vegas (LAS)

$571

$438

$478

Los Angeles (LAX)

$516

$439

$378

Memphis (MEM)

$399

$369

$201

Miami (MIA)

$406

$391

$315

VEHICLE

JAN 2012

JAN 2011

YTD 2012

YTD 2011

Nashville (BNA)

$282

$191

$395

Accent

4,341

4,244

4,341

4,244

New Orleans (MSY)

$429

$319

$276

Sonata

14,489

13,261

14,489

13,261

New York (JFK)

$359

$320

$294

Elantra

10,900

9,659

10,900

9,659

Orlando (MCO)

$315

$292

$298

Santa Fe

4,818

4,415

4,818

4,415

Philadelphia (PHL)

$348

$314

$333

Azera

156

Pittsburgh (PIT)

$455

$426

$264

Tucson

3,116

2,863

3,116

2,863

St Louis (STL)

$318

$392

$260

Veloster

1,693

N/A

1,693

N/A

Seattle (SEA)

$467

$373

$240

Veracruz

736

579

736

579

$1,513

$1,366

$1,298

Genesis

2,291

1,783

2,291

1,783

Tampa (TPA)

$351

$292

$299

Equus

292

254

292

254

Washington DC (DCA)

$386

$252

$280

Total

42,694

37,214

42,694

37,214

Seoul, Korea (SEL)

Date of travel: March 13-18, 2012. Date of pricing: Feb. 12, 2012. Source: travelocity.com

Hyundai Sales

Source: Hyundai Motor America

March 2012 Montgomery Business Journal

Quarterly Reports QUARTERLY REVENUES

NET INCOME

EARNINGS PER SHARE

EARNINGS ESTIMATE

YEAR-AGO REVENUES

YEAR-AGO NET INCOME

$20.6B

$4.1B

$0.73

$0.72

$21.5B

$3.4B

Deposits increased 9% to $864.9B

N/A

$6.5M

$1.10

N/A

$4.6M

Quarterly profit jumped 43%

Southern Co.

$3.7B

$261M

$0.30

$3.8B

$153M

Profit surged 70 percent

Energen Corp.

$288.1M

$14.4M

$0.98

$374.1M

$80.3M

Production of gas and oil liquids up 21% last year

Regions Financial Corp.

N/A

(-$602M)

(-$0.48)

$0.06

N/A

$36M

Quarterly loss related to sale of Morgan Keegan

$6.8B

$1.4B

$1.33

$1.29

$6.2B

$1.2B

Revenue rose 10%

Brinker International

$681.9M

$35.7M

$0.44

$0.45

$671.9M

$37.5M

Profit declined 5%

International Paper

$6.4B

$257M

$0.59

$0.60

$6.5B

$316M

Profit fell 19%

Panera Bread

$495.8M

$38.6M

$1.42

$1.41

$428.2M

$36.5M

Chief financial officer leaving company in March

Buffalo Wild Wing

$220.5M

$13.6M

$0.73

$0.67

N/A

$10.2M

Same-store sales jumped 8.9%

Yum Brands (KFC,

$4.1B

$356M

$0.75

$0.74

$3.6B

$274M

Opened 656 restaurants in China last year; plan to open 600 more in 2012

$28.3B

$1B

$0.81

$0.89

$28.1B

$1B

Revenue increased 15%

$1.4B

$123M

$0.94

N/A

$1.3B

$106M

NAME

Wells Fargo ServisFirst Bank (Alabama Power) (Alagasco)

McDonald’s (Chili’s)

Taco Bell, Pizza Hut)

CVS Caremark O’Reilly Automotive

Montgomery Business Journal March 2012

NOTABLE

Sales rose 6%

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