Business Alabama October 2025

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Benchmarks

Space Command HQ headed to Huntsville

U.S. SPACE COMMAND’s headquarters will be moved to Redstone Arsenal in Huntsville. That’s the word from President Donald Trump, who announced in early September that the headquarters will relocate from Colorado Springs, Colorado.

“There was a lot of competition for this,” the president said from the Oval Office, where he was joined by Alabama’s congressional delegation. “This will be there for hopefully hundreds of years.”

The decision reverses a Biden-era decision to keep the headquarters in Colorado, and the announcement is the end of a fouryear battle over where the headquarters would land.

Trump said that, among other things, U.S. Space Command

BUSINESS BRIEFS

STATE HOUSE START

Construction of Alabama’s new $400 million state house is on track to open by January 2027. The state house, being built under the management of the Retirement Systems of Alabama, will contain the offices for the state legislature.

TAX DROP

Alabama’s state grocery tax dropped from 3% to 2% effective at the start of September. The law is meant to give cities and counties more flexibility to reduce local grocery taxes.

TAX TIFFS

Alabama’s county commissions said at their summer conference

in Orange Beach that a change in the 8-year-old Simplified Sellers Use Tax could result in dire financial consequences. They estimate the SSUT brings in $850 million in annual revenue for state, city and county governments. The city of Tuscaloosa, the Tuscaloosa School District and city of Mountain Brook have filed suit, claiming the SSUT program is unconstitutional.

DOCK IN THE BAYOU

Bayou La Batre broke ground in early September for a $24.4 million makeover of a public dock. Plans are to build a pavilion and facilities that will allow for a seafood marketplace, full-service marina and more.

will “play a key role in building the Golden Dome,” Trump’s missile defense shield, and also ensure that U.S. technological capabilities “remain unmatched.”

Alabama Gov. Kay Ivey praised the decision.

“Soon after President Trump directed the Department of Defense in 2018 to begin planning for this new military branch, Space Force, we began making our own preparations in Alabama for the city of Huntsville to compete to be home for headquarters,” she said. “As I have said all along, there is no better place to locate Space Command headquarters than in Huntsville, Alabama. Today, the facts prevailed, and it is official: Space Command Headquarters is coming to Sweet Home Alabama.”

Bethany Shockney, president and CEO of the Limestone County Economic Development Association, called the move “transformative” for the Tennessee Valley region.

“The arrival of Space Command, which is set to bring thousands of new direct and indirect jobs to the Tennessee Valley, will have a tremendous economic ripple effect throughout our metro area,” she said. 

CANYON KUDOS

Tour provider Antelope Canyon has highlighted Alabama’s Little River Canyon among the best in the nation, along with household names like Grand Canyon.

MORE BUGS

The Decatur City Council has approved a $43 million expansion of the Cook Museum of Natural Science. The expansion would almost double the museum’s size to about 120,000 square feet.

MORE MISSILES

Lockheed Martin is expected to complete an 88,000-squarefoot assembly plant in Courtland for the long-range ballistic

missile defense interceptor by early next year. The missile is designed to knock down ballistic missile threats from rogue nations.

GE UPGRADING DECATUR

GE Appliances announced it will invest more than $3 billion over the next five years in its U.S. operations, including its facility in Decatur. The company’s top-freezer refrigerator plant in Alabama will produce six 22 cu. ft. models, and production will ramp up by the end of August.

TROY IN KOREA

Troy University has opened a campus in Korea, in collaboration with Jeonnam Glocal K-EDU Center.

Georgia-Pacific investing $800M in Monroe County mill

Georgia-Pacific’s Alabama River Cellulose mill will be the nation’s largest softwood pulp mill.

GEORGIA-PACIFIC will invest $800 million in an expansion of the company’s Alabama River Cellulose mill.

The expansion will make the Perdue Hill facility in Monroe County the largest softwood pulp mill in the United States, the company says.

The project is scheduled to begin this year and be finished in 2027. It is expected to increase production capacity by 300 tons per day.

The mill produces close to 1 million tons of fluff and market pulp yearly. That’s used to make goods such as baby diapers, facial tissue and kitchen towels.

“Modernizing this mill reinforces our commitment to meeting our customers’ current and long-term demand for high-quality fluff and market pulp,” said Munir Abdallah, president of GP Cellulose, a subsidiary of Georgia-Pacific. “The investment also

BUSINESS BRIEFS

RADIO SILENCE IN HUNTSVILLE

Citing a loss of federal funding, Huntsville public radio station WLRH 89.3 FM is dropping NPR programming. The station said it will continue to air news from organizations including the Associated Press and BBC, and local programming will continue airing on the station.

WALLACE IN WINSTON

Wallace State Community College has opened the Winston County Community Learning Center. The center will support dual enrollment and GED classes, and it will include adult education classes, training programs, free Skills for Success training courses and more.

IF YOU’RE HURT…

The University of Alabama at Birmingham Hospital has been reverified as a Level I adult trauma center by the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma.

ON CAMPUS

Auburn University has opened its new College of Education building, a 167,000-square-foot, three-story facility. The building includes classrooms, labs, office space and a two-story atrium with skylights. Spring Hill College broke ground for the $35 million Annette N. Shelby Health and Science Innovation Center, which will bolster the Mobile college’s nursing and pre-med programs. The University of North Alabama

means our cellulose business will be well-positioned to meet the growing needs of emerging markets.”

Georgia-Pacific acquired the Monroe County facility in 2020 and has invested more than $700 million into the mill, including an $80 million expansion in 2022.

Gov. Kay Ivey said the new expansion will have a major impact on rural Monroe County.

“Georgia-Pacific’s $800 million investment in its Alabama River Cellulose mill represents a powerful vote of confidence in our state’s workforce and business climate,” she said. “This project not only strengthens one of Monroe County’s cornerstone employers, but it also ensures that Alabama will continue to play a leading role in supplying the materials that go into essential everyday products used around the world.” 

is celebrating the “topping out” of its $65 million Bank Independent Stadium, set to open next year.

BRIDGEWORK

The final steel girders have been placed on the new Gulf Shores bridge, a major milestone for the $52 million project. The bridge is on track to open by summer 2026.

NEW IN ENTERPRISE

Enterprise has completed more than $8 million worth of upgrades to Enterprise City Hall, the first major renovation to the building since it opened in 1968. The renovations included electrical wiring, new HVAC system and more.

PRICE OF LION LIE-IN

A committee has determined it would cost $5-$7 million to have live lions on the University of North Alabama campus again. The live lion tradition began in 1974, but to rev it up again, the school would need to be in alignment with national standards established by the Association of Zoos and Aquariums.

HOTEL CLOSING

Selma’s historic St. James Hotel closed its doors in late August. The hotel opened on Water Avenue in 1837. The hotel closed once before for about three years before reopening in 2021 after a $5 million renovation.

Business prospects in Decatur, Coden and Gadsden

New and expanding firms have announced plans for major investments in three Alabama cities.

Nashville-based LOFTIS STEEL & ALUMINUM is building a $6.5 million facility in Decatur. MASTER BOAT BUILDERS plans a $7.8 million investment to expand and update its facilities in coastal Coden. And Wyoming company TAKKION, which works with clean energy services, will lease the 2.9 million-square-foot former Goodyear industrial site in Gadsden.

Loftis produces custom metal components for a wide range of applications.

“Loftis selected Decatur for our second base of operation due to its strategic proximity to our Nashville operations,” said Tom Russell, Loftis’ president and CEO. “It provides a springboard for us to more effectively service the ever-expanding North Alabama market.”

Loftis’ commitment to Decatur “highlights the strategic advantages of doing business in Alabama,” said Ellen McNair, secretary of the Alabama Department of Commerce. “This project brings together innovation, craftmanship and opportunity – all qualities that define our state’s manufacturing sector.”

Master Boat Builders is adding a fabrication shop and floating dry dock and expects to add 85 jobs.

“This investment is about more than just expanding our ability to build more high-quality vessels,” said Master Boat Builders President Garrett Rice. “It underscores our commitment to increasing American shipbuilding capacity and we’re doing it right here along America’s Gulf Coast in Mobile County. By

BUSINESS BRIEFS

HISTORIC

The Liberty National Building in Birmingham has been added to the National Register of Historic Places — deemed worthy of preservation by the National Park Service.

DRONING ON

Professional Drone Works is manufacturing drones out of a new, 90,000-square-foot facility in Huntsville. The company is expected to make 60,000 drones a year.

STUDY ABROAD

Birmingham’s Samford University has purchased a new international study center in Costa Rica. The 10,000-squarefoot home is on 14 acres near the capital of San Jose. The

modernizing our facilities and growing our skilled workforce, we’re positioning our team to deliver critical vessels that support U.S. commerce and industry, all while training the next generation of American shipbuilders.”

In addition to physical improvements, the company also is adding workforce programs to train workers.

Takkion’s project in Gadsden will be a storage and handling hub for renewable energy materials, primarily solar panels — one of more than two dozen Takkion facilities across the U.S.

“We’re excited to have this new company coming to Gadsden,” said Mayor Craig Ford. “This deal takes an unoccupied building and fills it with a tenant from one of the fastest-growing industrial sectors in the world. Having a logistics company like Takkion in Gadsden will put us in the center of distribution for the entire renewable energy industry throughout the Southeast.”

Takkion President Pete Bierden said his company’s goal is to be a “responsible neighbor. As our drivers and crews work here, they’ll also be stopping for fuel, meals and supplies in Gadsden — bringing added business to local shops and services,” he said.

Phoenix Investors leased the former Goodyear spot to Takkion.

“The Gadsden-Etowah Industrial Development Authority has worked diligently with Phoenix since their purchase of the building to bring tenants to the property, and we’re proud to have this nationally known company located in Gadsden,” said David Hooks, director of the Gadsden-Etowah IDA.

property will be known as Finca de Samford.

CIVIC SITE FOR IRONDALE

The city of Irondale began work in August on a $20 million redevelopment of the Zamora Shrine Center. The center will be renovated to become the new Irondale Civic Center.

PEPSI POWER

Pepsi-Cola has opened its new distribution center in Luverne in Crenshaw County. Pepsi has been locally owned and operated in Luverne since 1915.

FIRST FIFTH THIRD

Fifth Third Bank, based in Cincinnati, Ohio, opened its first Alabama location in Huntsville. It’s the first of 15 branches

planned for Alabama by the end of 2028.

UNION NO

Workers at the Navistar plant in Huntsville voted against joining the United Auto Workers. The UAW in part blamed intimidation by Navistar management for the anti-union vote.

NEW AT THE TOP

Donitha Griffin has been named president of Wallace Community College Selma, succeeding James M. Mitchell. Griffin is a Wallace-Selma graduate.

SOMEWHERE TO STAY

The Birmingham City Council approved $1.2 million for construction of the Home For

All Program at Faith Chapel Care Center. The program will use 15 micro-shelters and provide services for residents experiencing homelessness.

AIRPORT CONTINUITY

Birmingham has agreed to extend its lease to the Birmingham Airport Authority from 2045 to 2070. The new lease will allow the authority to sign new contracts worth $72 million.

EXPANDING

Prattville-based River Bank & Trust will open an office in Destin, Florida, the bank’s first location outside of Alabama. Brad Hayes will be Florida Panhandle region president for the bank.

UAB, Southern Research open new facilities in Birmingham

The University of Alabama at Birmingham opened a 134-bed, $156.7 million inpatient rehabilitation pavilion in August. The same month, Southern Research celebrated the opening of its new $98 million building nearby.

The UAB REHAB FACILITY, designed by Gresham Smith and built by Hoar Construction, features three therapy gyms and more.

“Building on UAB’s six decades of excellence in rehabilitation, this innovative new facility will dramatically advance our comprehensive, inpatient care for those with life-altering injuries or conditions,” said UAB President Ray Watts, M.D.

The new facility will focus on neurorehabilitation care, serving patients recovering from conditions such as stroke, brain injury and spinal cord injury.

“This hospital is more than a building — it is a promise to our patients and their families,” said Robert Brunner, M.D., medical director of UAB Spain Rehabilitation Center. “Every hallway, therapy space and outdoor area was created with hope and healing in mind. We have reimagined what rehabilitation can look like, combining the most advanced care with the warmth, dignity and support that every person deserves on their path to recovery.”

Spain Rehabilitation Center will continue to serve outpatient rehabilitation patients.

The new SOUTHERN RESEARCH facility doubles the organization’s lab capacity and expands its ability to combat chronic illnesses, cancer and infectious diseases. The $98 million facility is at the corner of Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard and Ninth Avenue South.

“Southern Research and the University of Alabama at Bir-

BUSINESS BRIEFS

HUNTSVILLE EXPANSIONS

The Huntsville City Council has OK’d financial incentives for two companies expanding in the city. Parsons Corp. is investing $5 million in its expansion, and Performance Drone Works is planning a $9.1 million expansion. Together, that will result in about 700 new jobs.

GROUNDBREAKING

Birmingham-based construction firm Robins & Morton and Methodist Healthcare System in August celebrated the groundbreaking of a $104 million, two-story vertical expansion and renovation at Methodist Hospital Stone Oak in San Antonio, Texas. Ground was broken in early August for the $54 million Clearview Cancer

Institute in Decatur. The cancer center is being built on a five-acre site and is scheduled to open in 2026. The city of Tuscaloosa also broke ground in August for Linton Barbershop Plaza. The $1.4 million project will include story panels, walkway, timeline, mural wall and more surrounding the Civil Rights Movement.

ROBOBOOSTER

The Tennessee Valley Authority has awarded $55,000 to 22 North Alabama schools and nonprofits to create new robotics programs or enhance existing ones. Programs are in Colbert, Lauderdale, Lawrence, Limestone, Madison, Marshall and Morgan counties.

mingham continue to partner in groundbreaking discoveries that impact lives throughout Alabama and beyond,” said Watts, who is serving as interim CEO of Southern Research. “This new, world-class facility will accelerate those efforts dramatically, as we work together to become the biotech commercialization leader in the Southeast.”

Southern Research broke ground on the 150,000-square-foot building in 2022, receiving financial support from the state of Alabama, city of Birmingham, Jefferson County and the U.S. Economic Development Administration. The Alabama Legislature included $45 million for the Southern Research building in the 2023 state budget, marking the state government’s first-ever investment in the 80-year-old campus.

The new building is the first major campus addition since 1987.

UAB’s inpatient rehabilitation facility opened in August.

FAMOUS FOLKS

Kiwanis has named John H. Holcomb III of National Bank of Commerce, Don James of Vulcan Materials Co., John D. Johns of Protective Life Corp., Charles McCrary of Alabama Power Co. and the late Horace Corbin Day of Jemison Investment Co. to the Birmingham Business Hall of Fame.

ATHENS BUSINESS SITE

A new development called Athens Business Park will offer workspaces specifically designed for small businesses, tradespeople and service providers. The individual suites will be 1,000 square feet.

CONSTRUCTION NOTES

Birmingham-based construction management firm HPM recently celebrated the “topping out” of the University of Alabama in Huntsville’s Raymond B. Jones Engineering Building That marked the final exterior beam being placed for the $59 million facility. Birminghambased Brasfield & Gorrie has “topped out” the Ronald McDonald House Charities of Greater Charlotte in North Carolina. The expansion will add two new guest rooms and improve the building’s entrance. Birmingham-based general contractor Capstone Building Corp. has completed the Casara Pensacola apartment community in Florida. Birmingham-based

International Paper to invest $250M in Selma mill

IP’s Riverdale mill in Selma in 2018, when the company invested $522 million there to increase industrial packaging capabilities.

INTERNATIONAL

PAPER has announced plans to invest $250 million in its Riverdale mill in Selma. The investment will convert the #16 machine to produce containerboard.

The Selma plan came amid myriad changes announced by the Memphisbased company in late August.

Georgia IP mills fared much worse as the company announced permanent closure of a containerboard mill in Savannah, a packaging facility in Savannah, a containerboard mill in Riceboro and Riceboro Timber and Lumber — changes that affect some 1,100 workers.

“While difficult, these decisions are essential to positioning International Paper for long-term success, enabling us to focus on the geographies, customers and products where we can create the most value,” said Tom Hamic, executive vice president and president of International Paper’s North America Packaging Solutions business. “Our investment in the Riverdale mill reflects our commitment to delivering high-quality, reliable service while strengthening our advantaged cost position.”

The Riverdale conversion should be complete by late 2026.

IP also said it has reached an agreement to sell its Global Cellulose Fibers business to American Industrial Partners for $1.5 billion.

BUSINESS BRIEFS

construction firm Robins & Morton has broken ground on the 35,000-square-foot AdventHealth Zephyrhills Medical Office Building in Pasco County, Florida.

MORE FUN IN SPANISH FORT

Spanish Fort opened a new recreation area in August. The Town Center Park in the Bass Pro Shopping Center features six pickleball courts, a renovated playground and splash pad, and a pavilion with picnic tables.

GENEROUS

Mazda Toyota

Manufacturing has launched Leading Industry Growth by Helping Teachers (LIGHT) in

schools in Morgan County and Huntsville. The program supports student career development. The Shawn Esfahani Foundation is donating $1 million to four Gulf Coast charities in honor of the late Jim Moran, founder of Southeast Toyota. The donation will be split among Prodisee Pantry, the Lighthouse, Penelope House and the Baldwin Humane Society. Through its annual Backpack Blessings program, Birmingham’s Full Moon Bar-B-Que has given more than $200,000 in stocked backpacks to children in need in Alabama and Mississippi. The backpacks are filled

with school supplies and gift cards. KPMG U.S. Foundation has awarded a $112,500 grant to Birmingham Promise to help with the organization’s tuition assistance program over the next three years.

FALL PREVENTION

Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama has opened a Fall Protection Institute in Birmingham to help workers learn to avoid falls.

CORRECTION

Ryan Pinkham is an area superintendent with Hensel Phelps. The company name was misspelled in our September issue.

HOW CONTINENTAL SOARED INTO A GLOBAL POWERHOUSE FROM MUSKEGON TO MOBILE:

With their focus on innovation, efficiency and their employees, Mobile-based Continental Aerospace Technologies has been firing on all cylinders for more than 120 years

By STEVEN CASTLE — Photos by MIKE KITTRELL

Very few aviation companies can boast 120 years of experience in the industry, especially since the Wright brothers only made their first flight 122 years ago. But Continental Aerospace Technologies, nestled in Mobile, can do just that, and much more.

Continental’s story began in Muskegon, Michigan, as Continental Motors. For more than half a century, Continental

produced traditional piston-based engines for lighter personal aircraft, or “general aviation.”

In the late 1940s, the end of World War II saw the rapid expansion of the light airplane industry, and Continental grew with it. Continental continued to innovate, introducing general aviation to turbocharging and fuel injection in the early 1960s.

In 1964, Jerrie Mock completed the first solo flight around the

world by a woman, a tremendous feat accomplished in a Cessna 180 aircraft powered by a Continental engine.

Continental’s demand eventually outpaced its capacity. The company needed a new home, and in 1966, they found one right here in Alabama.

“We outgrew Muskegon,” says Karen Hong, Continental’s global CEO and president. “The story we’re told is [Brookley Air Force Base] closed down here and literally, we moved in the next day.”

In Hong’s view, Mobile was definitely the right place to relocate: “I think they made a good choice to anchor over here, because of the labor pool and the state and local leaders’ support.” Mobile’s port made it easy to move products and materials, and Alabama’s warm climate prevented the kind of costly cold weather delays that could vex northern cities. Mobile’s 11-building complex provided Continental with room for decades of operational expansion.

In 1999, Continental unveiled its innovative FADECequipped engine, or Fully Authorized Digital Engine Control.

FADEC is a computer-guided engine control unit that elegantly combines throttle, prop and fuel mixture into a single control, providing optimal fuel efficiency at any altitude and thrust, while taking the mental burden off of pilots. Or, as Hong more pragmatically puts it: “You push one button, you relax, and you can talk.”

That convenience is no accident, as the pilot experience is a big part of Continental’s focus. For Continental’s employees and leadership, the versatility and freedom of general aviation is paramount.

“Once you discover Continental and the pride that the team members have and the love that we have for general aviation, we just want to share it with more people,” says Continental’s Marketing Director Andrea Bertagnolli. “Our industry is such a passion-driven industry. For some, they use [Continental planes] as a hobby on a weekend to be able to fly to an Alabama football game while others use it to travel to four cities in a day for business.”

Continental continued to grow in 2011, when it was acquired by a subsidiary of AVIC International, headquartered in Beijing, China. Access to larger supply chains and customer bases gave Continental the ability to spread its wings and become a true global competitor. Today, Continental supports customers in 78 countries from its three global offices: its headquarters in Mobile; a service and maintenance facility across Mobile Bay in Fairhope; and a major manufacturing facility for its Jet-A engine in St. Egidien, Germany.

While the 11-building complex in Mobile provided Continental with the room it needed to grow, it also had some downsides, specifically in efficiency: parts would have to be transported from building to building by hand or driven in carts for continued assembly, and employees in one building had little contact with employees in other buildings.

Eventually, Continental realized another change was needed: moving its global headquarters into one large facility. “And so again, we were trying to choose a new site. Where would we put our new global headquarters?” says Bertagnolli. “Were we going to move? What were we going to do? Obviously, there were other incentives from other local governments and things like that.”

But in the end, she says, the decision wasn’t a difficult one: “These people [of Mobile] are what make our engines and we’re nothing without them. So, for us, it was an easy decision to just move across the fence.”

And Continental did just that in 2018, building a new cutting-edge global headquarters and manufacturing facility just across the fence line from its previous location. The new 275,000-square-foot facility is a monument to efficiency, where cast and molded metal hunks, or ingots, start at one end of a huge indoor manufacturing floor, and slowly make their way from station to station, being heated, cooled, chipped away, milled, measured, plated, processed and assembled, until they reach the opposite end of the manufacturing floor as precisely engineered parts, or even fully assembled engines, ready to ship to customers.

Teams also communicate and relate with each other much more easily. Many teams hold open-air stand-up meetings right on the plant floor, and office workers who were once partitioned away in separate buildings — departments like human resources, sales support, housekeeping, corporate leadership and others — now work in open-design office spaces, which overlook the manufacturing floor through a near-continuous row of large windows.

Every detail of the building — from its company’s 120-year timeline proudly touted on the walls of its lobby to the vertical banners at each manufacturing station, adroitly detailing the part that is being built there and its purpose in the engine — works to foster collaboration and company cohesion.

And that focus on people permeates Continental through to its development programs. “We have a Cornerstone people development system and also Continental Aerospace Technology Academy,” says Hong. “We can provide not only theory, but also hands-on opportunities.”

This academy, filled with classroom staples like desks and whiteboards as well as fully and partially assembled engines hoisted on stands, welcomes technicians and engineers from all over the world to train on maintaining Continental engines.

And Continental nurtures its employees’ love of general aviation with its Flying Club, a small stable of light aircraft for use by employees with enough tenure.

With that focus on connection, it’s no wonder many Continental employees are either private pilots or student pilots, including both Hong and Bertagnolli.

“It’s one of the most affordable ways that you can get your private pilot or further on training licenses,” says Bertagnolli. “The more that we can fly and spend time connected to our product and see what our customers are experiencing, it just helps make that customer connection.”

Steven Castle and Mike Kittrell are Mobile-based freelance contributors to Business Alabama.

FLYER EDUCATION

Colleges and other training programs are working to address a potential pilot shortage

By CARY ESTES

The availability of commercial airline pilots is hitting some significant turbulence. The Federal Aviation Administration requires a mandatory retirement age of 65 for commercial pilots, and the last of the Baby Boomer flyers are reaching that milestone birthday at supersonic speed.

Earlier this year, the Boeing Company released a report stating that an average of approximately 6,000 new pilots will need to be added to the North American workforce annually for the next 20 years to keep up with demand (and more than 32,000 each year globally). The situation is considered to be serious enough that the U.S. Congress recently debated whether to change the mandatory retirement age for pilots to 67.

But when it comes to finding licensed pilots capable of safely transporting the most precious cargo of them all — human passengers — the airlines can’t simply search LinkedIn for “FlyGuy23.” It takes specific training that simply is not widely available.

There are several options in Alabama, however, including through the Auburn University School of Aviation, which offers an FAA-approved Bachelor of Science degree in professional flight, thus giving new meaning to the term “higher education.”

Auburn began providing aviation administration courses as early as the 1920s,

but the school’s pilot training program began in earnest in 1941 with the outbreak of World War II. The program evolved over the ensuing decades, eventually moving from the College of Engineering to the College of Liberal Arts in 2017 with the establishment of the professional flight degree.

The program accepts approximately 150 new students each year, and “the vast majority of them are coming right out of high school,” according to chief flight instructor Wayne Ceynowa. About half those newcomers do not even have a pilot certification when they arrive on campus, so their initial training simply is learning how to fly.

But even for licensed pilots, including former military members, about one-third of the degree involves spending time in a flight simulator of an airplane cockpit, School of Aviation Director James Birdsong says.

“If you’re getting a chemistry degree, you spend a lot of time in the chemistry lab,” Birdsong says. “A flight degree is similar in the sense that the students spend a lot of time in the flight lab, which is the actual airplane and the simulators.

“The students have to take about 45 hours of core aviation classes that cover things like human factors, weather, aerodynamics, operations management, aviation management. But the rest of the degree is the flight training itself.”

In essence this is a college course

Mason Jackson has completed 3,000 hours of flying and earned Airline Transport Pilot rating at age 21, one of the youngest to achieve that rating. Jackson began his aviation studies at Sanders Flight Training Center and also graduated from the affiliated Liberty University program. Now a flight instructor for Sanders, he already has an airline job offer.

similar to any other that Auburn offers, but there is one significant difference. While an architecture or veterinarian student might be able to fail a single test but still end up with a passing grade for the semester, failure of any kind simply is

not an option for the professional flight students.

“Every day, our students have either a flight, a simulator or an exam, and they are all graded,” Flight Education Director David Bottomlee says. “If they meet the standard, they pass and move on in the syllabus. If they don’t pass, they have to redo it.

“It’s a difficult program. They have to show up prepared every day, both in the academic portions of what they’re going to do and their flying. If they don’t, they have to repeat it.”

For those who successfully navigate the program, a job opportunity as a commercial pilot almost assuredly awaits. Birdsong says the School of Aviation has partnerships with Delta and several other airlines that enable students to begin the process of applying for a pilot career as early as their junior year.

“The airlines interview our students while they’re still at Auburn, and if they get selected for one of these programs, they’re on a clear path (for a job),” Birdsong says. “It’s a very structured path between Auburn and all these different airlines. So, these students show up here at age 18, and then they’re out the door at 23 and ready to fly for the airlines.”

There are other options within the state for pilot training. Tuskegee University recently reinstated flight training at historic Moton Field for the first time since 1946, in partnership with Republic Airways’ Leadership In Flight Training (LIFT) Academy. This past summer, 20-year-old Isaiah Hand became the first student to earn his pilot’s license through Tuskegee’s new aviation science degree program, and he plans to continue training for a commercial pilot’s license.

Meanwhile, away from campus, Jasper-based Sanders Aviation offers a professional airline pilot career track. The Sanders Flight Training Center was established in 1996 by Joseph Sanders Jr., a retired U.S. Air Force lieutenant colonel, who wanted to help other military aviators transition into a career with the airlines.

“We see about 1,000 military aviators each year,” says Sanders’ daughter, Jessica Sanders Walker, who serves as the com-

pany’s vice president. “We’ve been doing this long enough that we know exactly what they need. So, if we get a C-17 pilot (a heavy-cargo aircraft), we know how to tailor the course specifically for them.”

In general, Walker says the Center’s Certified Training Program consists of 30 hours of academia (covering such topics as meteorology, runway incursions and airfield operations) and 10 hours of simulator time. It is all in preparation for the FAA’s Airline Transport Pilot Multiengine Airplane test, which is a prerequisite for becoming a commercial pilot.

“It’s just like if you’re going to law school and you have to take the LSAT (Law School Admission Test) or med school and take the MCAT (Medical College Admission Test),” Walker says. “We administer a ton of ATM knowledge tests every week.”

The program has been successful enough that Sanders Aviation has added flight training centers in Tuscaloosa and Huntsville, as well as a location in Memphis utilizing flight simulators through a partnership with FedEx. In addition, the company has started a nonprofit called the Operation Aviation Foundation, designed to promote potential aviation careers to children.

“We need to get these students attracted to this now, because of all the new pilots we’re going to need in the future,” Walker says. “Our goal is to create the most capable pilots possible, and make sure they leave here with the knowledge needed to be successful.”

Expanding the pilot pipeline beyond the military is important because, as Birdsong points out, that supply pool no longer is large enough to meet the growing demand for commercial aviators.

“About 30 years ago, 70% of the commercial pilots came from the military and 30% civilian. Today it’s flipped, with only about 30% from the military,” Birdsong says. “That’s driving some changes. The structured flight environment that pilots used to get from the military, they can now find that same type of structure in these other education programs.”

Cary Estes is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

BUILDING THE NEXT GENERATION OF AIRCRAFT WORKERS

Community colleges offer nationally recognized training options

By DEBORAH STOREY — Phtoos by MIKE KITTRELL

Boeing estimates that more than 600,000 new maintenance technicians will be needed over the next 20 years to service the global commercial aviation fleet – 134,000 in North America alone.

The Alabama Community College System is doing its part. Before the fall semester began this year, more than 1,200 students already had enrolled in flight technology, aviation maintenance and aviation manufacturing programs at eight

state community colleges.

The aerospace and aviation programs include advanced composites, aerospace welding, aircraft structural assembly, avionics, flight simulation, drone technology, robotics and more.

The courses train students in career paths certified by the Federal Aviation Administration and Southern Association of Colleges and Schools.

Gillette Samms is director of aviation programs for the Alabama Community College System. In his lilting accent, he tells the interesting story of how he came to Alabama in the 1970s and ended up overseeing the community college program decades later.

“I’m originally from Jamaica,” Samms says. “My first trip on an airplane landed in Dothan, Alabama. That school was a magnetic draw not just nationwide, but there were a whole lot of foreign students there when I attended it.”

Jamaica did have its own airline, but he came to America for the best training available.

“I’ve always dreamed of doing aviation,” he says. “As with most young kids growing up, you aspire for an aviation career but realistically it was probably outside of my league financially and otherwise.”

Sponsorships were available in different professions at U.S. companies then, including the field of aviation mechanics.

“They were attracting folks from overseas to train in the U.S. and I responded to it,” he says. “I was lucky to be one of the candidates that got accepted and ended up in Ozark.”

Samms graduated in 1979 and worked at Dannelly Field in Montgomery for about a year, and later at Northrop Grumman. He earned his pilot’s license, became a flight instructor, taught aviation tech for 28 years at Atlanta Technical College and later in Utah and North Carolina. He started an aviation program in Crestview, Florida, too.

Samms took over leadership of Alabama’s training program about two-and-a-half years ago. The state already had deep roots in aviation – both military and space. The Wright Brothers opened the first civilian aviation school in Montgomery in 1910.

“Ozark is one of the most successful

programs in the state,” says Samms. “They’re in the back door of Fort Rucker, or Fort Novosel, and they’re sort of like a feeder for that whole operation down here for the U.S. Army.”

The U.S. Army helicopter training center began in Ozark in 1971 and is one of the largest in the world.

“They hold the name Alabama Aviation College,” he says.

“I actually worked there when I graduated,” Samms says. “I spent about five years maintaining helicopters there. They’re primarily helicopters but they do have fixed-wing aircraft as well, strictly military.”

Depending on the program, the community college curriculum prepares graduates for the federal aviation mechanics test in two divisions. The airframe license deals with structural components, electrical equipment, landing gear and more. The power plant license pertains to engines.

“Avionics is essentially aircraft electronics,” he says, including instrumentation, navigation, radios and communication.

“The technical skills that they gain is to make them qualify for the test for the FAA license,” he says. “The license is basically the passport for getting into the profession.”

Samms is working to expand avionics offerings at community colleges across the state.

Because of attrition, retirement and expansion in the industry, there’s a great need for pilots and maintenance personnel, he says.

Samms is based in south Alabama “because of the growing demand for Airbus and the training that Bishop State College is doing currently for Airbus,” he says. He travels across the state to visit the various programs.

After general instruction, students study aircraft structure “where they do sheet metal structure, sheet metal repairs.

They have to learn about the different fasteners that are used, the application of these fasteners and different structural repairs on the aircraft. You don’t just go out and grab some metal and just slap it on the side of the aircraft.

“They do things like basic electricity. They learn about fluid lines and fit-ins. They learn about hydraulics. They learn to read precision instruments and tools,” he says.

On the electrical side, students learn to install instruments, calculate voltage and loads, and troubleshoot air conditioning, pressurization and instrument systems using technical and engineering manuals.

“They actually weigh an aircraft and come up with the data that the pilot will have to use when they go flying – when they load the aircraft with passengers and a car on board, they have to calculate the center of gravity of the aircraft to make sure it falls within limits,” Samms says.

One thing students learn is the importance of personally signing off on every step in the maintenance process.

When he speaks to students, he instills the idea that “you should be able to put

your mom and your child and whoever on there and be comfortable doing it.”

The program is thorough because “everything is critical,” he says. “Anything that is on the aircraft other than the cockpit instrumentation, they are required to learn how to fix.”

The state’s Aviation College program has an articulation agreement with Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University in Florida to train students beyond the twoyear level. Athens State University offers a transfer opportunity for a major in management of technology with a minor in aviation management.

Southern Union State Community College has partnered with Auburn University to build a new hangar at Auburn University Regional Airport to expand its maintenance program and support the Auburn School of Aviation.

High school students around the state are taking advantage of training opportunities through dual enrollment.

Samms likes to introduce high school students to aviation careers because “one of the biggest things I find is it’s the best-kept secret,” he says. “Nobody knows

WHERE TO LEARN WHAT

CALHOUN COMMUNITY COLLEGE

With its main campus in Decatur and a branch in aviation-friendly Huntsville, Calhoun offers programs in aerospace technology, structure and assembly. The Associate of Applied Science degree in Advanced Manufacturing with a concentration in Aerospace Technology prepares graduates through classroom and laboratory instruction in propulsion structure and assembly or welding.

SNEAD

STATE

Students attend Alabama Aviation College classes at the Frank McDaniel Aviation Building near the Albertville airport. They can choose between two Associate in Applied Science degree pathways: Airframe technology, for maintenance of aircraft frames; and power plant technology, for aircraft engine maintenance. Additional certifications and transfer opportunities are available.

WALLACE STATE

Located in Hanceville and Oneonta, Wallace State’s Aviation/Flight Technology program trains professional and recreational pilots on helicopters and fixed-wing aircraft. Initial training for all pilots includes ground school and simulator training and FAA check rides. Graduates can pursue advanced degrees through partnerships with Athens State and others. The Selma campus began offering foundations of aviation and introduction to unmanned aircraft systems this year.

SOUTHERN UNION

Students study aircraft maintenance and repair skills including turbine and reciprocating engines,

about aviation, unless mom or dad work in the field. I’m really working on pushing it in all the high schools regionally across the state.”

Students who complete the program are almost certain to find work, he says.

“There’s a job out there for those who graduate out of the aviation maintenance program,” he says. “They may have to go out of state and several of them do.”

He likes to make potential students aware that “we’ve got this out here. You

hydraulics, fuel systems, propellors, sheet metal, flight controls, landing gear and more for FAA certification. The courses are taught at the Opelika and Valley campuses.

ENTERPRISE STATE

Aircraft maintenance technicians work toward airframe or powerplant (A&P) certificates from the FAA to repair and maintain airplane engines, landing gear and other equipment except instruments. Campuses are in Ozark, Andalusia, Elba, Dothan and Troy.

COASTAL ALABAMA

The Alabama Aviation Center, located at Brookley Field in Mobile, was established in 2002 and offers programs in airframe technology, powerplant technology and avionics. Several aviation industries are nearby, including the Airbus Final Assembly Line.

BISHOP STATE

Located in Mobile, Bishop State’s Aviation Manufacturing Technology program provides hands-on learning in precision measurement, blueprint reading and sheet metal work for certification as riveters, assemblers, fabricators and more.

MARION MILITARY INSTITUTE

Located in Marion in Perry County, MMI offers FAA-certified flight training on Cessna aircraft. Cadets may earn up to a FAA commercial pilot’s license. Flying Tigers learn through ground school instruction, online learning and in-flight training on a one-year military track or two-year civil aviation track.

can live good. The earning potential is great. It’s on par with people leaving colleges with a four-year degree.”

Some of his former students say they’re making as much as $80,000 a year. “And this was years ago,” he says.

On a side note, Samms says that many people inside the state don’t realize that Alabama’s job training program is nationally respected.

The state is “the tip of the spear when it comes to skills, trade training and in-

novative programs in workforce training,” he says.

College presidents often ask him how to start aviation programs on their own campuses.

“I say, ‘Listen. Have you got about $5 million to $6 million to start with?’,” Samms says with a laugh.

Deborah Storey and Mike Kittrell are freelance contributors to Business Alabama. She is based in Huntsville and he in Mobile.

LAUNCHING DREAMS FOR 65 YEARS

From the nation’s first manned spacecraft to its newest discoveries in the heavens, the team at Marshall Space Flight Center has played a crucial role

By KATHERINE MacGILVRAY

All photos courtesy of NASA

On July 1, 1960, President Dwight Eisenhower made a special visit to Huntsville to formally dedicate a new NASA field installation.

The George C. Marshall Space Flight Center celebrates its 65th anniversary this year. The center, one of NASA’s largest, remains an integral part of the U.S. space program, from supporting nearly every phase of space exploration to leading groundbreaking scientific achievements.

In the 1960s, Marshall developed the Mercury-Redstone rocket that carried the first American astronaut into space, the Saturn I and Saturn IB rockets and the Saturn V rocket that carried the first humans to the Moon.

In 1970, the U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Marshall’s official visitor center, opened its doors. Today, it is the world’s largest space attraction and Alabama’s top paid tourist attraction, drawing millions of visitors from around the world. The center features dozens of interactive exhibits that showcase the past, present and future of spaceflight as well as a

planetarium and one of the world’s largest collections of space hardware, including a full-scale Saturn V rocket. The center also is home to the Space Camp program, which offers children an opportunity to participate in fully immersive science, engineering and spaceflight learning programs.

During the 1970s, Marshall focused on developing the first U.S. space station,

Skylab, and began developing and testing for NASA’s newly proposed Space Shuttle Program. Trailblazing efforts in the 1980s led to the STS-1 shuttle mission that ushered in three decades of low Earth orbit space operations as well as the first Spacelab mission launch. Two of the most sophisticated space telescopes and imagers ever built — the Hubble Space Telescope and the Chandra X-ray Observatory —

TOP: President Eisenhower arrives at the new Marshall Space Flight Center in 1959.

BOTTOM: President Dwight Eisenhower and Mrs. George C. Marshall admire the bust of her late husband, namesake of the Huntsville NASA facility.

launched in the 1990s, and both are still in operation today.

Marshall’s portfolio continued to expand in the beginning of the 21st century. The addition of the Destiny laboratory module to the International Space Station in 2001 increased onboard living space by 41%. It still serves as the primary research laboratory for U.S. payloads and supports a wide range of studies that contribute to improving life for people all over the world. That same year, the Payload Operations Integration Center at Marshall began providing 24/7 payload operations support for crews on the space station.

In the 2010s, Marshall wrapped up 40 years of overseeing propulsion for the Space Shuttle Program and turned to leading the Space Launch System (SLS), the agency’s most powerful launch vehicle to date and the backbone of NASA’s current major endeavor, the Artemis missions.

“For over six decades, Marshall has been a part of leading so many of humanity’s greatest achievements in space exploration,” says Joseph Pelfrey, who has served as director of Marshall Space Flight Center since early 2024 where he oversees more than 6,000 civil service and contractor employees and an annual budget of approximately $5 billion.

Prior to becoming director, Pelfrey spent a large part of his career in various leadership roles within NASA, including supporting the International Space Station. Marshall has served as the central hub for science activities on the space station for nearly 25 years.

“Our teams have the ability to utilize, really, a world-class laboratory in low Earth orbit to advance our knowledge and understanding of many different disciplines. We also use it to test the things we’re going to need to go further out in space, to spend longer spans on the lunar surface and to eventually make that long

trip to Mars.”

One example Pelfrey highlights is the Environmental Control and Life Support System (ECLSS), a life support system that provides or controls all aspects of air, water and waste systems for human space exploration. Three key components of ECLSS — the Oxygen Generation System, which produces oxygen; the Air Revitalization System, which cleans and circulates cabin air; and the Water Recovery System, which provides clean water by reclaiming wastewater, including crew members’ urine — were jointly designed and tested by Marshall and industry partners.

“It kind of freaks people out when we talk about the fact that urine becomes drinking water,” says Lisa Bates, director of the Engineering Directorate at Marshall. “But yes, it’s absolutely drinkable, and it’s actually really clean.”

Bates oversees more than 2,500 civil service and contractor personnel responsible for designing, testing, evaluating and operating flight hardware and software for Marshall-developed space transportation and spacecraft systems, science instru-

ments and payloads.

“We have a huge job, and it’s an amazing job,” says Bates. “We can design it, we can develop it, we can test it and then we can actually deliver systems and components.” That start-to-finish product development is a unique capability and is why her team has built expertise in many areas.

Right now, a lot of that expertise is focused on preparations for Artemis II, the first crewed flight of the SLS and Orion spacecraft, scheduled for the early spring of 2026 that will launch four astronauts around the moon. Building on the success of the uncrewed Artemis I mission, which launched in November 2022, Artemis II is the next step toward establishing a longterm presence on the moon and preparing for future human missions to Mars. On its heels, Artemis III is scheduled for 2027 and will put humans on the moon for the first time in more than 50 years.

Working with industry partners, Marshall leads the development of the SLS and Orion. NASA awarded a contract to SpaceX to develop its Starship Human Landing System (HLS) that will carry

Artemis III astronauts from lunar orbit to the moon’s surface and back, and Marshall is managing that program as well.

“One of the unique things about NASA is we have the ability to work a number of partnership avenues,” says Pelfrey.

Pelfrey looks forward to the new possibilities at Marshall when Space Command headquarters relocates to Huntsville.

“We have a lot of active partnerships with other government agencies, including Space Force and Space Command, and that’s a normal course of business for us. There are over 65 federal organizations that sit within five miles of us, centralized here on Redstone Arsenal, and we partner a lot with those organizations in various ways. The possibility of Space Command coming to Huntsville is exciting because we have a lot of common areas where we can work together on capability development for the region. It would really create a strong space presence here in Huntsville, for sure, and leverage what we’ve built over the last 65 years, not only with NASA, but with our [defense] partners here on Redstone Arsenal.”

NASA has an $8 billion impact on

Alabama’s economy and supports more than 35,000 jobs.

“The work that we do at Marshall [touches] many counties in Alabama. It is very much a whole nation approach to build this rocket, but definitely a large contribution [from] Alabama. And Alabama contributes to our missions, bringing its talent and expertise to help us solve challenges, build the hardware we need and help us get ready to launch these crews and support these missions.”

“Some people don’t know how important Marshall engineering is to the Artemis II flight,” says Bates, who has engineers working on a slew of preparations both at Marshall and NASA’s Kennedy Space Center to ensure a successful launch.

“Obviously, their primary job right now is to make sure that we have a safe and perfect flight on Artemis II.”

In August, a semitrailer transported the Orion stage adapter, which was built and tested at Marshall, to Kennedy to complete final stacking operations.

“The launch vehicle components are stacked on the launch tower at Kennedy Space Center and have undergone initial

Kathi Lange, with contractor Bastion Technologies, checks out the CO2 Scrubber unit that keeps space habitat livable.

The Orion stage adapter for Artemis II begins its journey from Marshall to Kennedy Space Center. The unit connects the Space Launch System interim cryogenic propulsion stage to the Orion spacecraft — the final piece of hardware delivered in preparation for the Artemis II mission.

integrated testing,” says Pelfrey. “And the Orion spacecraft is finishing up its processing. It will be stacked in the coming months, and then our goal is to actually roll out to the launch pad for initial testing by the end of the calendar year. It is an exciting time.”

For Bates, who was part of NASA’s Space Shuttle Program for several years, each launch is almost heart-stopping. “You’re so excited in advance, and then you’re so proud. And that is what America has done, right? Because no one person makes one of these rockets go; it’s people across the country.”

Alabama Aerospace & Aviation Companies

1

2

3 Dynetics Inc.

4 Science Applications International Corp. (SAIC)

5 Northrop Grumman Corp.

6

7 Lockheed Martin 4800 Bradford Dr. NW Huntsville, AL 35805

8 Airbus U.S. Space & Defense Inc. 8100 Airbus Military Dr. Mobile, AL 36608

8 Collins Aerospace 1300 W. Fern Ave. Foley, AL 36535

airbusus.com

collinsaerospace.com

8 GKN Westland Aerospace Inc. 3951 Alabama Hwy. 229 S. Tallassee, AL 36078 334-283-9200 gknaerospace.com 1,100

and development.

Research and development, engineering, weapons, systems development; additional operations in Anniston, Courtland, Fort Rucker, Madison, Mobile, Montgomery and Troy.

Aircraft nacelle manufacturing & MRO.

Manufacturer of composite structures and assemblies for helicopters, fixed wing aircraft and engine components.

11 Hexagon US Federal 301 Cochran Rd. SW Huntsville, AL 35824 256-799-6300 hexagonusfederal.com 1,059 Software development.

12 Science & Engineering Services 248 Dunlop Blvd. SW Huntsville, AL 35824 256-258-0500 sesillc-us.com 1,050 Aviation integration.

13 Raytheon Co.

401 Jan Davis Dr. NW Huntsville, AL 35806

256-542-5100 rtx.com 945

Navigational, measuring, electromedical and control instruments manufacturing; additional Alabama operations in Auburn, Eastaboga, Hazel Green and Fort Rucker.

14 Teledyne Brown Engineering 300 Sparkman Dr. NW Huntsville, AL 35805 256-726-1000 tbe.com 794 Aerospace/defense.

15 United Launch Alliance 1001 Red Hat Rd. Decatur, AL 35601 256-432-1529 ulalaunch.com 775 Designs, builds and launches Atlas and Vulcan rockets.

16 PPG Aerospace 1719 U.S. Hwy. 72 Huntsville, AL 35811

17 Sanmina Corp.

18 ERC Inc.

13000 Memorial Pkwy. SW Huntsville, AL 35803

308 Voyager Way, Ste. 200 Huntsville, AL 35806

19 Lockheed Martin 5500 County Rd. 37 Troy, AL 36081

20 General Dynamics Corp.

21 Jacobs Space Exploration Group

22 Intuitive Research and Technology Corp.

310 The Bridge St. Huntsville, AL 35806

620 Discovery Dr. NW, Bldg. 2 Ste. 140, Huntsville, AL 35806

5030 Bradford Dr. NW #2 Ste. 205 Huntsville, AL 35758

23 Westwind Group Inc. 2901 Wall Triana Hwy., Ste. 200 Huntsville, AL 35824

24 Benchmark Electronics Huntsville Inc.

4807 Bradford Dr. NW Huntsville, AL 35805

25 AAR Manufacturing Inc. 140 Sparkman Dr. NW Huntsville, AL 35805

256-859-2500 ppg.com 750

256-882-4800 sanmina.com 726

256-430-3080 astrion.us 694

Aviation, transparencies for airplanes.

Semiconductors and other electronic components; additional Alabama operations in Guntersville.

Engineering and scientific services firm providing independent assessment support, IT support and operations and maintenance support to NASA, defense and commercial clients.

334-670-9500 lockheedmartin.com 600 Aerospace.

256-799-3665 gdit.com 589

256-971-5500 jseg.space 586

256-922-9300 irtc-hq.com 580

256-319-0137 DND 552

Computer systems design ; engineering, scientific research; airspace products and parts. Additional operations in Anniston, Cullman, Daleville, Fort Rucker, Mobile, Montgomery and Valley.

Research and development.

Production support, systems engineering, product development, rapid prototyping and technology management services.

Aircraft Parts and Auxiliary Equipment, Not Elsewhere Classified

256-722-6000 bench.com 538 Electronic components, electromechanic assembly and systems integration.

256-830-7000 aarcorp.com

AN EASIER WAY TO PAY THE RENT

Birmingham-based fintech Occupi raises $3 million in seed funding

By NANCY MANN JACKSON

More than three in four Americans use payment apps like Cash App, Paypal, Venmo or a mobile wallet to pay bills or send money to others, according to the Pew Research Center. Financial technology tools like these, known as fintechs, have changed the financial landscape over the past few years.

For millions of Americans, rent is the largest expense in their monthly budgets. And many renters don’t have the option to pay rent in the fast, simple way they’ve grown accustomed to paying other bills — through a mobile app.

The reasons are complex. Many landlords may want to accept rent via Venmo or Cash App, but those payments are difficult to track in accounting systems and could cause problems at tax time. Also, because they’re not specifically designed for rent payments, such platforms don’t provide automatic late fees, keep up with security deposits, or simplify other property management-related financial tasks.

These are the types of payment challenges that led to the founding of Occupi, an Alabama-based fintech company focused on payment solutions for property management. The business idea developed “as a result of my personal experience as an owner and operator of affordable housing communities facing payment challenges that I couldn’t solve with what was already available,” says Taylor Peake, CEO, who co-founded the company with COO Emily Hart. “We built Occupi to bridge the gap between the property manager’s workflow and the financial tools residents use every day.”

After launching commercially in August 2024, Occupi recently completed a seed-funding round that raised $3.1 million. With just one year of business under its belt and a successful funding round, the company has plans to continue to revolutionize the rent payment landscape.

FULFILLING A NEED

“

We built Occupi to bridge the gap between the property manager’s workflow and the financial tools residents use every day.”

— taylor peake,

Occupi

Fintech companies have sprung up in recent years to meet a variety of needs, including budgeting, investing and person-to-person payments. Occupi fits into a unique fintech space that connects property managers with tenants and prospective tenants, providing secure, trackable payments as well as screening potential tenants.

Peake and Hart say their niche in the fintech space fulfills an unmet need. “Payment optionality is a necessity, not just a convenience,” Hart says. “There is an overabundance of innovation for luxury renters, from top-end condo communities to vacation rentals, while very little exists for the everyday American. At Occupi, we believe everyone, no matter their income, should always have access to the payment options that work for them, including alternative wallets like Cash App, Venmo and Chime.”

“

At Occupi, we believe everyone, no matter their income, should always have access to the payment options that work for them.”

— Emily hart, Occupi

Occupi’s payment and screening platform leverages AI to address a critical pain point in property management by facilitating seamless payment options, including traditional and alternative methods like digital cash wallets, posted across multiple property management systems. With the Occupi platform, property managers are able to offer residents better payment options while maintaining operational efficiency, Hart says. The company’s AI-powered platform facilitates more than 20 payment methods that post to the property manager’s general ledger.

Since Occupi completed beta testing and launched commercially in August 2024, it has experienced strong demand, with new property portfolios onboarding every month. “Today, we serve communities across more than 10 states, supporting property managers in manufactured housing, multi-family, single-family, housing authorities and HOAs, with integrations across multiple property management systems,” Peake says.

PLANS FOR THE SEED FUNDING

The capital secured through the funding round positions Occupi to continue growing and take advantage of big opportunities to scale. For example, the infusion of capital already has allowed Occupi to hire top talent roles including experienced payment and property technology engineers across the country and in the Birmingham market.

“We’re bold about our growth trajectory, and that requires top talent and resources to achieve,” Hart says. “By securing our seed raise, we’ve been able to hire high-demand technical roles from companies like Trulia, GrubHub and more, and now we can shift our attention fully to onboarding new customers and adding new features to better serve communities across the country.”

Early-stage investment firms Fenway Summer and Assurant Ventures co-led Occupi’s recent funding round. The funding round also included strategic investments from social impact venture capital firms Halcyon Venture Partners and Sorenson Impact Foundation, as well as private investors, which represent a diverse nationwide footprint of partnerships including investors from the Washington D.C. area, Georgia, Utah and Alabama. The oversubscribed round positions Occupi to scale its payment and screening solutions across affordable and student housing sectors in multi-family, manufactured and single-family markets.

The institutional and individual investors who participated in Occupi’s funding round represent deep expertise in finance, housing and compliance, “which strengthens our foundation,” says Josh Hornady, Occupi’s chief legal officer. “Their backing equips us to grow securely, compliantly and with lasting impact.”

The funding round was structured as a SAFE (Simple Agreement for Future Equity), which is a legal contract that allows an investor to purchase equity in a company at a future date. That future date is tied to specific parameters, such as a liquidity event, that will trigger the SAFE’s conversion into shares. There is no maturity date or interest payment, and the investors have no voting rights or ownership in the company until the

SAFE converts.

However, Occupi leaders expect to benefit from their investors beyond the capital infusion. “Each individual and institutional investor brings a unique strategic advantage to the table to expand Occupi’s impact including industry connections, integration opportunities and future partnerships,” Peake says. “Our investors have already proven themselves to be fierce advocates for Occupi, for which we are deeply grateful.”

In addition to accelerating its growth trajectory through strategic hiring, Occupi will also use the funding to expand its features. That effort includes a recent partnership with the Alabama Power Foundation to develop specialized features addressing the unique requirements of affordable housing assistance programs.

LOOKING AHEAD

With a first successful funding round behind them, Peake and Hart are busy mapping out their plans for future growth. “Our roadmap is full of financial tools designed to be accessible and inclusive, and our investors will help us bring that vision to life,” Hart says. “Occupi is built on genuine partnership, and we’re lucky to work with collaborators who care as deeply about connection and impact as we do.”

Overall, the company is committed to simplifying payments to allow property managers and residents to focus on other priorities. As the platform grows, the goal is to continue building tools that will keep the entire system efficient, reliable and accessible, Peake says.

“Nothing is more humbling than raising startup capital in 2025, but we were fortunately positioned to be selective with our partners,” Peake adds. “We could not be happier with our venture partners and private investors, who have been incredible assets as we scale Occupi’s payment and screening platform.”

Nancy Mann Jackson is a Madison-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama

HELPING HEALTH CARE HELP

Highland Associates offers financial guidance to nonprofit health care groups

By NANCY RANDALL

Nonprofit health care organizations are winding through a maze of upcoming Medicaid changes and other current challenges. How do they future-proof their investment portfolios against this backdrop?

Birmingham-based Highland Associates helps these organizations by first understanding their present and future operational needs.

A subsidiary of Regions Financial Corp. since 2019, the firm advises on about $20 billion in assets, according to Highland Group Leader Paige Daniel. The firm serves the investment allocation needs of nonprofit health care entities and mission-based organizations.

Daniel has been with Highland since 2006 and was promoted to her current position in May. As Regions noted at the time, she previously served as head of consulting, guiding Highland’s strategic direction and daily operations. She is a voting member of Highland’s Investment Working Group, which directs all asset allocation and research efforts of the firm.

Highland’s health care clients are situated across the United States and include stand-alone health systems, multistate sys-

“ The changes in reimbursement really haven’t come into effect yet. I think everyone’s just trying to figure out what the potential ramifications could be to policy changes and then looking at expense controls if needed.”

— Paige Daniel, Highland Associates

tems and academic medical centers, Daniel explains.

The Medicaid changes on the horizon are certainly among current clients’ concerns. “The changes in reimbursement really haven’t come into effect yet,” she says, with those expected sometime in 2026. “I think everyone’s just trying to figure out what the potential ramifications could be to policy changes and then looking at expense controls if needed.”

Personnel costs, of course, are also part of the expense landscape for these organizations. “Coming out of COVID, you saw personnel costs move up, especially in nursing. I think that has stabilized from what we’re hearing from clients, and so it’s not a huge drag like it was before,” Daniel notes.

Cybersecurity also is top of mind for Highland’s clients, she says, given the huge rise of hacking and ransomware events over the last few years. Indeed, the topic was central to a July 9 statement by the American Hospital Association to the U.S. Senate Committee on Health, Education, Labor and Pensions’ hearing about enhancing health care cybersecurity.

The statement notes that transnational hacking events have risen nearly tenfold since 2020. Protected health information – PHI – has been stolen during these events, and health care entities have endured ransomware attacks.

In addition, the statement cites data from the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Office for Civil Rights: Health care data breaches have affected increasing numbers of people, from 27 million in 2020 to 259 million in 2024. Most of the breaches from OCR reports showed hacking incidents were aimed at health care support entities like third-party service and software providers.

Given these cybersecurity threats and new systems needed to thwart them, unease about Medicaid policy changes potentially impacting provider reimbursements and other operational needs and goals, Highland’s clients need guidance on future investments.

Daniel notes the two consecutive years of 25% returns in the U.S. equity markets, along with this year’s “strong rebound.” But, she says: “We probably will see a little bit of a pullback in the market.”

With that volatility and the other challenges heading their way, Highland’s clients are trying to solve the investment puzzle for their organizations.

“I think we’re different in that we want to make sure when we’re managing portfolios, we understand how it ties back to the organization. [We’re] not just looking

“ I think we truly understand the inner workings of the health care industry, and that has certainly grown over the years. That has helped us think very specifically about how the various investment portfolios need to support the organization.”

— Paige Daniel, Highland Associates

at, well, we think equities look good or bonds look good, and we don’t really care how they are integrated,” Daniel explains.

One of Highland’s clients was preparing to build a new hospital and had to determine how to fund the construction. The client considered two approaches, Daniel explains. The first was to finance a large portion of the construction via the debt market. The second solution was to use some of the cash available in the organization’s operating portfolio.

“We spent a lot of time trying to understand what the cash needs would be on the portfolio,” Daniel explains. Highland developed a schedule for the client to have cash available monthly across a couple of years.

“That allowed us to take some risk off the table in the portfolio, meaning we sold down some of their equity positions and put [the funds] in more conservative, short-term cash options. It was a nice way to look at how that portfolio would support the overall organization. Again, we’re not looking to structure a portfolio in a vacuum,” Daniel says.

Another Highland client, a health care system, needed support with some operational challenges. The system’s goal was to decrease some of the volatility in its portfolio, Daniel explains. “[The client] wanted to take a little bit of money out of equities and put that into more of a conservative allocation, more on the fixed income side. We worked with them to figure out what that optimal mix needed to be,” says Daniel, who noted that Highland is frequently seeing this type of client need.

Highland had yet another health care client whose portfolio was more strategically focused, with some funds intended for future technology system upgrades and other larger initiatives at the organization. “We helped them devise a plan so that money’s not just sitting in cash,” she explains. Highland “laddered out” the portfolio to ensure specific cash amounts would be available

as needed in the future, Daniel says.

Highland’s expertise in health care is one factor that sets it apart from other firms offering similar services, Daniel says. The firm began in 1987 specifically to work with nonprofit health care organizations and help them develop, implement and maintain their investment portfolios.

One of the firm’s founders was a health care chief financial officer, plus the staff included an additional health care CFO. “I think we truly understand the inner workings of the health care industry, and that has certainly grown over the years. That has helped us think very specifically about how the various investment portfolios need to support the organization,” Daniel notes.

The firm views itself as a “boutique,” she says, enabling a more “nimble” approach to investing. “We’ve got sizable money, but we can be very nimble with our investment ideas. [This] also allows us to be very client focused.”

Coupled with its boutique approach is Highland’s position as a Regions subsidiary. This expands the services the firm can offer its health care clients, Daniel says, from commercial banking to treasury management.

Around 20% of Highland’s clients have remained with the firm for 20 years or more, Daniel says. “That is, I think, a strong testament to what we deliver and how we deliver our services here.”

Highland currently has 20 employees serving clients from the East to the West and beyond, Daniel notes. Growth plans are to expand the team, she says, in addition to “actively pursuing” new clients.

“I think that we have a really great value proposition to offer.”

Nancy Randall is a Tuscaloosa-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

Alabama Bank Performances

Compiled by MEGAN BOYLE

Ranked by total assets in 2025. Dollar amounts in thousands. Data for total assets, net loans and leases, and noncurrent loans and leases reflects first quarter end 2024 and first quarter end 2025. Data for net income reflects year end 2024.

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RISING STARS OF BANKING 2025

KARLY ALLISON , executive vice president, commercial banking for Bryant Bank in Birmingham, has 26 years’ experience in banking. She has spent 20 years in commercial banking as a commercial lender and in various leadership positions. She has served as company campaign chair for United Way of Central Alabama, volunteered with YWCA of Alabama and was a member of the Junior League of Birmingham. She also has supported Junior Achievement

Here’s a look at 23 on-the-rise bankers selected from around the state

Lemonade Day and worked with the Central Alabama Food Bank. Allison lives in Vestavia Hills with her husband and two children.

JAY BAKER , senior vice president, commercial banking manager at SmartBank, has more than two decades of experience in commercial banking and financial services. Baker has an expertise

in low-income housing tax credits and middle-market financing. He has worked at BBVA, Compass Bank, Credit Suisse and Guilford Capital, where he honed his skills in relationship management and underwriting. Baker is a graduate of Auburn University at Montgomery with a degree in finance.

TIA BLAKE is a loan processor for First Citizens Bank in Luverne, where she started working eight years ago as a bank teller. As a loan pro-

cessor, she works daily with customers, loan officers, senior bank management, real estate closing attorneys and internal compliance. She says that what she loves most about her job is “serving our customers, working with our great bank team and solving complex matters in order to get the bank loan documents accurate and closing the loan on time.”

KERRI D e SHAZO is the Dothan market executive at Synovus Bank, where she leads banking teams in offering financial solutions for clients and supports the bank’s community outreach initiatives. With 30 years of banking experience, DeShazo started her career as a teller and joined Synovus in 2008.

A Wiregrass native, she earned a bachelor’s degree in business administration from Troy University. She is active in area nonprofits and serves as an executive board member of the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce. DeShazo is a Leadership Dothan graduate and a 2023 recipient of the Synovus Chairman’s Award for Exceptional Client Experience. She enjoys competitive fitness and family road trips.

JUWAN DICKERSON , senior treasury management sales officer at ServisFirst Bank in Birmingham, began his banking career at AmSouth bank in the early 2000s. Since then, he has worked at Regions, BBVA and PNC before joining ServisFirst, where he

says the bank’s “name is our mission” motto aligns with his skills and philosophy. “My focus is on building relationships from the ground up,” he says. Dickerson is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

KATHRYN ELLIS is vice president and treasury management relationship manager at Regions Bank in Mobile, serving clients across the Alabama Gulf Coast and Florida Panhandle. A graduate of the University of Mississippi in accounting, she obtained her CPA license and worked as a tax accountant before moving into the banking industry more than 25 years ago. She’s involved in the community, working with organizations including Habitat

CELEBRATING OUR RISING STARS

Lori Hall VP – Controller

Bob Thompson Area President

They inspire us all and represent the very best of Bank Independent.

for Humanity and the United Way. Ellis and her husband have two daughters and live in Daphne.

TIMOTHY GYAN is senior Community Reinvestment Act analyst at ServisFirst Bank, performing data analysis, quality control and testing to assess compliance with CRA and Fair Lending Laws. A Mobile native and graduate of the University of South Alabama, Gyan served nine years as a commissioner on the Alabama Commission on Higher Education. He also served on USA’s National Alumni Association board of directors and was a loaned executive with the United Way of Southwest Alabama. Gyan, his wife and two children live in Birmingham.

JOSH HAISTEN is market president and vice president for Houston County for MidSouth Bank, where he leads five branch locations around the Wiregrass. A graduate of Troy University, the Alabama Banking School and Bankers 2 Leaders, Haisten has been with MidSouth since 2007. He is active in the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce and a graduate of Leadership Dothan. Haisten has played a key role in organizing the chamber’s State of the Economy Luncheon and serves on the board of the Southeast Alabama Community Foundation, Region 6 Workforce Development and Dothan National League. Haisten and his wife have two children and live in Dothan.

LORI HALL is vice president and controller at Bank Independent, where she began her 22-year career while still in college. A graduate of the University of North Alabama, Hall received her MBA in 2008. She attained Certified Public Accountant designation and served on the Young CPA Cabinet with the Alabama Society of CPAs. She graduated from Alabama Banking School and from the Executive Development Program at Graduate School of Banking at Colorado. Hall also has served on the Finance Technical Advisory Council with the Alabama Committee on Credentialing and Career Pathway. Hall and her husband have a daughter.

ETHAN HOWARD is vice president in commercial banking at FirstBank. He began his career in public accounting before transitioning into banking. A CPA, Howard earned his bachelor’s and master’s degrees from Samford University. He is a member of the Birmingham Monday Morning Quarterback Club and serves on the National Wild Turkey Federation board for the Birmingham chapter. Howard is a member of the Church at Brook Hills. He, his wife and son live in Birmingham.

MASON HOWELL is a commercial relationship officer at Renasant Bank (formerly The First Bank) in Spanish

Fort. He is a graduate of the University of Southern Mississippi and began working at The First Bank as a student. After graduating with honors, Howell began his banking career full time as a credit analyst in Hattiesburg, Mississippi. In 2019, Howell transferred with the bank to Baldwin County to begin his lending career, where he continues to grow relationships today. Howell and his wife live in Daphne, where he is an avid saltwater fisherman.

LAWRENCE JOHNSON is an executive vice president at Friend Bank. Currently serving as investment officer, Johnson oversees the bank’s investment portfo-

lio, marketing strategy and various CDFI initiatives. Johnson began his career at Ernst & Young, specializing in financial services. He received his bachelor’s and master’s degrees in accountancy from the University of Alabama and was valedictorian of his Alabama Banking School class in 2022. Johnson is a member of First United Methodist Church in Dothan and serves on boards including Wiregrass Habitat for Humanity, Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, Alabama Bankers Association Bankers 2 Leaders and the Culverhouse College of Business Associate Board of Visitors. He and his wife have one son.

MARCIA JOHNSON serves as vice president of marketing and communications at River Bank & Trust. Since joining the bank, she has been instrumental in shaping and promoting the River Bank brand. A Prattville native, Johnson graduated from the University of West Alabama with a Bachelor of Science in Integrated Marketing Communications. Following completion of the American Bankers Association Bank Marketing School, she earned its Certified Financial Marketing Professional designation. In 2024, she was recognized as a Women to Watch honoree by the Central Alabama Business Journal and has served as a marketing panelist for the Alabama Bankers Association.

CHARLES “CHUCK”

KRAMER III is a commercial relationship manager for United Community in Birmingham. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama and has 23 years of experience in banking. His areas of concentration are CRE, C&I and SBA lending. Before joining United (then Progress Bank) in 2016, he was a Commercial RM with Iberia, Regions and Compass Bank. Kramer has served as a past board member of Birmingham Citywide CDC. He is a member of Asbury UMC and has served on the church’s finance committee. He currently serves as Spain Park High School Gridiron president. Kramer lives in Greystone with his wife and their two sons.

SHELBY PATTERSON is special projects coordinator at First Metro Bank in Muscle Shoals. A 2019 graduate of the University of North Alabama with a degree in professional marketing, Patterson that year also completed the American Bankers Association Bank Marketing School. Her positions at First Metro have included teller, marketing assistant, marketing director and director of market development. In her current role, she was tasked with leading the bank’s core conversion project, collaborating across departments, vendors and stakeholders. Patterson led the project from inception to execution, including data migration, system testing and risk management.

BETH PLEMONS is an executive loan assistant at Renasant Bank with more than 25 years of experience in the banking industry. Throughout her career, she has played an integral role in multiple bank mergers, providing guidance to staff and clients to ensure smooth transitions. She also has served as a CreditQuest trainer, developing and leading training programs that strengthened commercial lending teams and enhanced internal processes. Plemons is married with three daughters. She has completed five marathons and will be traveling to Germany this fall to run the 2025 Berlin Marathon. She enjoys boating and spending time with her family on the water.

SEAN PLOUSE is a branch sales manager for CB&S Bank at the Perimeter Park branch in Huntsville. Originally from Pennsylvania, he graduated from Mount Aloysius College with a degree in business management. Plouse has been with CB&S Bank for four years, with more than 20 years of banking experience. Plouse is the treasurer for Community Bank Partners of Madison County, board chair for Disability Resource Network and mentor coordinator for the Synergy Chapter of BNI. Plouse has served as a mentor with The Cornerstone Initiative and sits on the organization’s board of influencers. He and his wife have one daughter.

KRISTIE RAY is senior vice president, private banking, with Bryant Bank in Huntsville. She holds a bachelor’s degree from Athens State University and is a graduate of the Alabama Banking School at the University of South Alabama. Ray has served on the board for Girls on the Run of North Alabama and currently serves as a professional adviser with the HudsonAlpha Foundation. Ray is a graduate of Leadership Huntsville/Madison County Focus Class 36 and was selected for Leadership Greater Huntsville’s Connect Class 28, which began in August. Her volunteer work includes the Food Bank of North Alabama and Manna Houses. She and her husband have one daughter.

HUNTER SINGLETON is a city president and commercial lending officer for PeoplesSouth Bank. Singleton studied at Wallace State Community College and Troy University, where he earned his Bachelor of Science degree in accounting. He worked in accounting and the oil field industry before moving to banking. He is active in the Wiregrass community as a member of the Headland Kiwanis Club, the Education and Workforce Development Committee for the Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce, Dothan Young Professionals and Troy University Henry County Alumni Chapter. He, his wife and three children live in Headland, where they are members of First Baptist Church of Headland.

ALISA SINKFIELD is vice president and office manager at River Bank & Trust in Montgomery. Sinkfield attended Alabama State University and is actively involved in her church, First Congregational Christian Church, supporting global missions and local outreach efforts. Sinkfield works with Camp Sunshine, which empowers disabled adults through enrichment and inclusion, and mentors young professionals. A native of Abbeville, Sinkfield and her husband live in Montgomery.

JILL SMITH , a life-long resident of Guntersville, is a relationship banker III, specializing in commercial lending, with Peoples Bank of Alabama. Smith began her banking career as a high-school student, working in the work-based learning program. In her 33-year career, she’s worked for four banks, including Peoples Bank, which she joined in 2008. She has received the Summit Sales Club Award from the bank each year since 2021. A graduate of the Alabama Banking School, she and her team were the Bank Exec winners and received the Kay Ivey Outstanding Bank Award. Smith has three children and six grandchildren.

RUSTY STILES is vice president/relationship manager for SmartBank’s North Alabama area. A Huntsville native and graduate of the

University of Alabama, Stiles has more than 15 years of experience in the banking industry. He joined SmartBank in 2021. Stiles is a graduate of the Alabama Banking School and a Connect Class 20 graduate through Leadership Huntsville/Madison County. Stiles is the president of the board of directors for Friends Inc., a small nonprofit. He enjoys playing golf, doing yard work and fishing. He and his wife have two children.

BOB THOMPSON is area president for Lawrence, Limestone and Morgan counties at Bank Independent, where he has been providing financial insight and guidance to customers and business owners since 2020. Thompson, his wife and two children live in Decatur, where he has deep ties with the local community. Thompson is a business graduate of Athens State University and has more than 15 years of commercial banking experience. Thompson previously had multiple tenures as treasury secretary and board chairman for Huntsville Community Drum Line and also served as a board member for the Limestone County Economic Development Association.

Jefferson County

by GAIL ALLYN SHORT

Jefferson County just might have it all. It has a land area of more than 1,100 square miles in north central Alabama. The Black Warrior and Cahaba rivers and rail lines and interstates 65, 20, 59, and Highway 78 run through its terrain.

And, combined with the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport, all of the rivers and rail lines and interstates work together to buoy trade and tourism, boost connectivity, support supply chains and make Jefferson County’s economy hum.

Manufacturing helped build up Jefferson County in the years after its founding in 1819.

Today, manufacturing remains a mainstay of the county’s economy, with plants forging metals, steel and other products. The manufacturing companies in Jefferson County include names like O’Neal Steel, McWane, Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United and the snack company J.M. Smucker.

“We’ve always had a strong manufacturing presence here,” says Jeff Traywick, Jefferson County’s economic development adviser. “The recruitment of companies that create high-wage jobs, that move the needle for us in terms of manufacturing wages and the number of folks that are employed in manufacturing, is really important.

“If you look at the data, just over the past five years, we’ve seen our average manufacturing wage go from $65,000 a year to $86,000 a year,” he says.

Those gains are significant, offering opportunities for people across the educational spectrum.

And yet, Jefferson County these days is blessed with a diverse mix of industries, from bioscience, health care, higher education and scientific research to retail, financial and insurance, hospitali-

Aug. 18, 1910,

ty, tourism and high tech.

As a matter of fact, CBRE, a global commercial real estate services firm, recently ranked Birmingham at No. 18 on a list of emerging markets in the nation for tech talent.

Jefferson County’s talented workforce is fueled by several universities like the University of Alabama at Birmingham, liberal arts colleges and community colleges.

Jefferson State Community College and Lawson State Community College, for example, are preparing students for careers in areas such as manufacturing as well as business management, construction and building science, computer information systems technology, nursing, medical laboratory services, hospitality and the culinary arts.

Higher education ranks among the economic engines that is not only driving workforce development, but also job creation, research, innovation and new businesses and startups in the region.

Moreover, Jefferson County officials and mayors are encouraging new investments to prepare land and infrastructure for future employers. One of the most ambitious projects is the development of 1,100 acres just off I-65, Exit 275 near Gardendale and Mt. Olive, to establish the Jefferson Metropolitan or JeffMet North Industrial Park.

“We’re in the process now of putting together a request for proposal for engineering work and master planning for the park,” says Traywick. “We’re also working with Birmingham Water Works to do some utility upgrades in the area to ensure that we’ve got adequate utilities.”

MEDIAN HOUSEHOLD INCOME

POPULATION Total Alabama Population: 5,157,699

Jefferson County: 664,744

Madison County: 423,355

Mobile County: 412,339

Baldwin County: 261,608

Tuscaloosa County: 241,212

Shelby County: 238,934

Montgomery County: 225,894

St. Clair County: 92,903

Walker County: 65,308

Blount County: 59,134

Source: U.S. Census

Once complete, JeffMet North is expected to create an estimated 4,700 jobs.

Jefferson County also is seeing investments from both established brands and cutting-edge companies. Coca-Cola Bottling Company United Inc., for example, is building a $330 million facility in Birmingham. Construction giant Brasfield & Gorrie recently expanded its headquarters in Birmingham. And last year, J.M. Smucker Co. opened its $1.1 billion, 900,000-square-foot facility in McCalla, in west Jefferson County.

Jefferson County’s other big economic driver is tourism. The county’s many attractions include the Civil Rights National Mon-

ument and sporting events, a Robert Trent Jones golf course, concerts, galleries and museums, nature trails and even the Alabama Adventure and Splash Adventure water and amusement park.

The Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau reports that in 2024, tourism brought more than 4 million visitors to the region. Those visitors spent around $2.57 billion resulting in $301 million in tax revenue for Alabama and Jefferson County. Tourism in Jefferson County was responsible for 51,887 jobs.

Gail Allyn Short is a Birmingham-based freelance contributor to Business Alabama.

Economic Engines

In 2024, UAB Health System completed its $450 million acquisition of Ascension St. Vincent’s Health System.

Jefferson County enjoys a diverse economy with legacy industries, bold new business ventures, tourism and cutting-edge tech startups driving investments, sparking innovation, creating new jobs and attracting visitors in the region.

HEALTH CARE

Health care remains a powerhouse in Jefferson County’s economy, bringing not only jobs, but also medical innovation, clinical trials and advanced training programs.

The largest health care entity in the county is the UAB Health System. With the University of Alabama at Birmingham, the UAB Health System is the state’s largest employer with more than 23,000, and it is a national leader in medical research and patient care.

In 2024, UAB Health System completed its $450 million acquisition of Ascension St. Vincent’s Health System, which included Ascension St. Vincent’s main

AUGUST 2025: The fast-casual eatery Urban Cookhouse announces a new location at Stadium Trace Village in Hoover, just outside of Birmingham.

JUNE 2025: The health care performance improvement company Premier Inc. acquires the Birmingham-based health care technology firm IllumiCare.

JUNE 2025: Toronto-based NEEZO Studios, a creative

and East campuses in Birmingham, hospitals in Blount, Chilton and St. Clair counties, the freestanding emergency department in Trussville and the One Nineteen Campus that provides rehabilitation therapy and specialty care.

The deal has solidified UAB’s dominance in regional health care delivery.

Jefferson County also is home to a wide network of other hospitals, specialty centers and affiliates, including Grandview Medical Center, Birmingham VA Medical Center, UAB Medical West, Cooper Green Mercy Health and Encompass Lakeshore Rehabilitation. Together, these hospitals and health care facilities employ tens of thousands and draw patients from across Alabama and the Southeast.

TECHNOLOGY AND INNOVATION

In 2024, the global real estate services firm CBRE ranked Jefferson County’s largest city, Birmingham, No. 18 in emerging tech talent markets, up from No. 24 the previous year. The ranking reflects strong momentum in the county for attracting and retaining skilled tech workers.

That momentum is fueled by organizations like UAB’s Bill L. Harbert Institute for Innovation and Entrepreneurship, which turns discoveries and innovations developed at UAB into startup businesses

marketing company that produces architectural scale models, animation and 3D real estate software, opens its first U.S. headquarters in Hoover.

MAY 2025: Brasfield & Gorrie, in Birmingham, holds a ribbon cutting for a three-story, 28,500-square-foot expansion next door to its existing headquarters in the Lakeview District.

and new products. In 2024, the Institute generated $6.5 million in licensing revenue and secured 17 U.S. patents.

Another organization is the business incubator Innovation Depot in Birmingham.

The Depot supports early-stage startups through business incubation, programs and co-working spaces as well as a membership that gives entrepreneurs access to resources and events.

In April, Innovation Depot debuted Boost Cohort 3, a program that gives founders who have validated their tech ideas the resources and support needed to move toward customer acquisition and business development.

The nonprofit scientific research organization Southern Research celebrated the grand opening of its new $98 million biotech center in Birmingham, which doubles the organization’s lab space.

A research partner of UAB, Southern Research is renowned for its work in drug development, including the development of seven FDA-approved cancer drugs and testing more than half of active chemotherapies in the United States. Southern Research employs 200 scientists and professional staff.

In addition, community-wide efforts, such as Sloss Tech and advocacy by TechBirmingham, put a spotlight on Jefferson County as a fast-rising hub for cybersecurity, biotech and software ventures.

METALS, MANUFACTURING AND ADVANCED MATERIALS

Despite Jefferson County’s rapid progress in the tech age, the region’s more traditional industries — steel and manufac-

MAY 2025: Special Shapes Refractory is one of five winners of the 2025 Governor’s Trade Excellence Awards for outstanding companies successfully exporting their products around the globe.

APRIL 2025: Birmingham software developer ProxyLink wins $75,000 in Alabama Launchpad’s first technology track competition. The company provides support to businesses whose customers use AI agents.

APRIL 2025: Heavy and mediumduty truck dealer Truckworx announces that it will build a new 12,000-square-foot headquarters in Birmingham. The $6.8 million project promises to create 52 highpaying jobs.

MARCH 2025: The Painted Lady Hotel opens in downtown Birmingham. The 22-room and suite establishment occupies the former Eyer-Raden Building in the historic automotive district.

turing — are still flourishing in the 21st century.

In January 2025, American Cast Iron Pipe Co., headquartered in Birmingham, acquired C&B Piping, a Jefferson County-based manufacturer and supplier of ductile iron and steel piping systems.

Longstanding industrial giants like McWane, which produces waterworks and plumbing products, and the steel fabricator CMC Steel in Birmingham, are continuing to modernize, employ new manufacturing techniques and expand product lines.

In the advanced manufacturing landscape. J.M. Smucker Co. opened its $1.1 billion, 900,000-square-foot facility in McCalla in late 2024. The J.M. Smucker plant produces its popular Uncrustables brand. It has 375 employees with plans for up to 750 workers.

Meanwhile, steel pipe and tube manufacturer Zekelman Industries announced in 2024 that it would invest more than $6 million toward its operations in Jefferson County and add 91 new jobs.

MOBILITY AND SUPPLY CHAIN

With the Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport in Birmingham and rail lines and interstates 20, 59 and 65 crisscrossing its landscape, Jefferson County is a prime location for transport logistics and distribution.

Jefferson County is where companies like P&S Transportation and Amazon are leveraging the county’s location to efficiently supply markets across the Southeast.

In June 2025, the Birmingham Jefferson County Port Authority and the

private firm Watco held a ribbon cutting for the new Port Birmingham Terminal. The new terminal is a 25,000-square-foot warehouse in Mulga that is designed to raise the storage and logistics capabilities of the inland waterway system in Alabama.

A new 1,100-acre industrial park is coming to unincorporated North Jefferson County. The Jefferson County Economic & Industrial Development Authority is developing the Jefferson Metropolitan North Industrial Park near the cities of Gardendale, Mt. Olive and Morris, just off Interstate 65 at Exit 275.

The EIDA reports that the new industrial park could lead to approximately 4,700 new jobs, an estimate based on the agency’s employment matrix from its JeffMet McCalla Industrial Park in west Jefferson County.

HIGHER EDUCATION

Post-secondary education maintains a massive footprint in Jefferson County with several two- and four-year colleges and universities for students to choose from. The schools create jobs and attract not only student dollars, but also research funding and investments.

UAB spans approximately 110 city blocks in Birmingham’s south side and beyond.

In 2023, the university reported 26,614 full- and part-time employees, making UAB Alabama’s largest single-site employer.

Its annual economic impact exceeds $12.1 billion, with $774.5 million in external research grants awarded in 2023 alone.

Other Jefferson County area colleges and universities also support the economy.

Miles College, in Fairfield, for example, added nearly $69.3 million in total economic impact and supported 641 jobs, according to a United Negro College fund’s 2024 report.

Jefferson State Community College provides technical training critical to local industries. For FY 2023-2024, Jefferson State boasted of a total annual economic impact of $574.5 million, supporting 7,200 jobs in its service area.

Lawson State Community College reported a total annual impact of $368.1 million, supporting 4,765 jobs in its service area.

Samford University in 2023 reported its annual economic impact at $453.3 million, supporting 2,635 jobs across Alabama in FY 2021-2022.

FINANCIAL SERVICES AND UTILITIES

A top economic driver in Jefferson County is the banking industry. Birmingham-based Regions Financial Corp. is Alabama’s largest and among the nation’s largest full-service banks as well. Regions reported its second quarter of 2025 earnings of $534 million.

Birmingham-based ServisFirst Bank reported in its second quarter of 2025 $61.4 million.

Among the utilities, the electric utility Alabama Power, a Southern Company subsidiary, serves 1.5 million customers across the state and employs more than 6,150 workers. Alabama Power’s 2024 net income was $1.4 billion, representing a $33 million, 2.4% increase from 2023.

Other utilities serving the region in-

SEPTEMBER 2024: Moxie

Childcare opens its new Homewood Center. The startup provides childcare services for working parents on irregular schedules.

JULY 2024: Commerce Secretary Ellen McNair announces Zekelman Industries’ plan to invest more than $6 million to expand steel tube production at its Jefferson County facility, creating 91 jobs.

MAY 2024: Coca-Cola Bottling Company United Inc. announces it will invest $330 million toward a new facility in Birmingham’s Kingston community, creating up to 50 new jobs.

MAY 2024: The Central Alabama Redevelopment Alliance launches the Jefferson County Micro Business Accelerator, an initiative that provides resources for entrepreneurs.

OCTOBER 2023: CModel Data

Inc. announces it is moving its headquarters from San Francisco to Birmingham. The tech-startup says it expects to create 80 jobs as it grows.

OCTOBER 2023: Stella Source, a software developer servicing the metal distribution and fabrication industry, announces its intention to expand in Birmingham with 50 full-time jobs.

DECEMBER 2023: Acclinate, a Birmingham digital health company tackling the underrepresentation of people of color in clinical research, announces its growth project that will add 25 new full-time jobs.

clude AT&T and Spire Inc., and Bessemer Utilities, which manages water and electric services for citizens in Bessemer, Jefferson County’s sixth largest city. TOURISM

From theaters, museums and memorials to restaurants, sports venues and music halls, Jefferson County’s cultural and recreational assets make tourism one of its

fastest-growing economic engines.

In 2024, tourism generated a record $2.57 billion in economic impact, supporting 51,887 jobs and contributing $302 million in state and local taxes, according to the Greater Birmingham Convention & Visitors Bureau.

In addition, the Greater Birmingham region had more than 4 million overnight

visitors in 2024, a 2% increase from the previous year and the highest number since 2017.

In fact, Jefferson County accounted for 14% of Alabama’s total travelers and 11% of statewide tourism spending, making it the second-largest tourism market in Alabama.

TAXES

PROPERTY TAX

JEFFERSON COUNTY: 13.5 mills

STATE OF ALABAMA: 6.5 mills

SALES TAX

JEFFERSON COUNTY: 1%

Cities within the county:

Adamsville: 4%

Argo: 4%

Bessemer: 4%

Brookside: 4%

Birmingham: 4%

Brighton: 4%

Center Point: 4%

Clay: 4%

Fairfield: 4%

Fultondale: 4%

Gardendale: 4%

Graysville: 4%

Homewood: 4%

Hoover: 3.5%

Hueytown: 4%

Irondale: 4%

Kimberly: 4%

Leeds: 4%

Lipscomb: 4%

Midfield: 4%

Morris: 4%

Mountain Brook: 3%

Mulga: 3%

Pinson: 4%

Pleasant Grove: 4%

Sylvan Springs: 4%

Tarrant: 4%

Trafford: 3%

Trussville: 4%

Vestavia Hills: 4%

Warrior: 4%

West Jefferson: 4%

STATE OF ALABAMA: 4%

Source: Alabama Department of Revenue

Largest Industrial Employers

AMAZON

Warehouse and Storage 5,000 employees

AMERICAN CAST IRON PIPE CO.

Industrial Valve Manufacturing 1,500 employees

KAMTEK INC.

Motor Vehicle Parts Manufacturing 970 employees

UNITED STATES PIPE & FOUNDRY

Iron Foundries • 970 employees

BUFFALO ROCK

Soft Drink Manufacturing

800 employees

U.S. STEEL CORP.

Iron, Steel Mills & Ferroalloy

Manufacturing • 750 employees

ALTEC INDUSTRIES

Construction Machinery Manufacturing • 635 employees

AMEREX CORP.

Fabricated Metal Product

Manufacturing • 625 employees

McWANE INC.

Industrial Valve Manufacturing 625 employees

COCA-COLA BOTTLING COMPANY UNITED INC.

Soft Drink Manufacturing 607 employees

BLOX

Modular Healthcare Building 500 employees

MOTION INDUSTRIES

Industrial Supplies Merchant Wholesalers • 400 employees

HUBBELL POWER SYSTEMS

Current-Carrying Wiring Device

Manufacturing • 400 employees

Source: Local economic development officials

Health Care

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM HEALTH SYSTEM

Patients across the Southeast and beyond seek out comprehensive medical care provided by UAB Health System, an academic medical center based in Birmingham.

UAB Health System made the U.S News & World Report national rankings in several specialty areas — No. 11 in rheumatology; No. 28 in obstetrics and gynecology; No. 14 in ear, nose and throat; No. 42 in neurology and neurosurgery; and No. 49 in geriatrics. The hospital itself is ranked No. 1 in the state.

Last November, UAB Health System grew even bigger with the acquisition of the Ascension St. Vincent’s Health System in central Alabama in a deal worth $450 million. The purchase included Ascension St. Vincent’s hospitals and clinics in Jefferson County as well as in Blount, St. Clair and Chilton counties, and the facilities are now UAB St. Vincent’s.

The UAB Health System today has more than 3,100 licensed beds among 15 owned, affiliate and network entities.

In August, UAB opened a new $156.7 million inpatient rehabilitation pavilion. The 134-bed facility features therapy gyms for patients in need of neurorehabilitation care, including those suffering from brain and spinal cord injuries and stroke. The new rehabilitation pavilion also houses the Epilepsy Monitoring Unit (EMU), where medical staff monitor and treat patients with seizure disorders.

This summer, health care providers from UAB Health System delivered medical services at the 2025 World Police & Fire Games held in Birmingham. More than 200 medical personnel volunteers dispensed on-site sports medicine care and emergency services at 22 venues.

In April, Katelin Holmes, D.O., a UAB clinical assistant professor in the Division of Breast and Endocrine Surgery and breast surgeon at Infirmary Health in Mobile, performed the nation’s first laparoscopic, nipple-sparing mastectomy approved by the Food and Drug Administration.

In other news, this year the American College of Surgeons Committee on Trauma reverified UAB Hospital as a Level I adult trauma center. UAB first obtained

the designation in 1999 and is the only one in Alabama to have that designation.

Last year, the American Heart Association honored UAB with the Get With The Guidelines - Stroke Gold Plus quality achievement award for seeing that stroke patients are provided treatments that meet the latest research-based guidelines. In addition, the Heart Association also named UAB Hospital to its Target: Stroke Honor Roll Elite Plus and Target: Type 2 Diabetes Honor Roll.

CHILDREN’S OF ALABAMA

Children’s of Alabama is a private, not-for-profit medical center and the only children’s health system in the state. It is also a teaching hospital for pediatric medicine students and those in residency programs.

For 15 straight years, U.S. News & World Report has ranked Children’s of Alabama as one of the Best Children’s Hospitals in the nation and the Best Hospital for Children in Alabama.

This year, Children’s of Alabama expanded its Inpatient Behavioral Health Service. The new space includes 11 inpatient beds for youngsters ages 12 to 18 and provides evidence-based dialectical and other behavioral therapy interventions.

GRANDVIEW MEDICAL CENTER

Located along Jefferson County’s 280 Corridor, Grandview Medical Center is celebrating its 10th anniversary this year.

Grandview offers emergency services as well as cardiac care, orthopedics, women’s health services and more.

Grandview recently completed a $10 million expansion of its women’s services department, with 10 new postpartum rooms, nurses’ station and eight new labor and delivery suites.

BAPTIST HEALTH

In Jefferson County, Brookwood Baptist

Medical Center and Princeton Baptist Medical Center got new names this year: Baptist Health Brookwood and Baptist Health Princeton. The name changes occurred after Orlando Health, in a $910 million deal, bought a 70% stake in five Brookwood Baptist Health hospitals in Alabama from the for-profit Tenet Healthcare.

With the purchase of the two hospitals in Jefferson County, Orlando Health gained a 595-bed comprehensive health care facility at Baptist Health Brookwood in Homewood and 505 patient beds at Baptist Health Princeton in Birmingham.

Baptist Health Brookwood services include minimally invasive procedures, as well as stroke and cardiovascular services, rehabilitation, bariatrics and surgical services. In addition, the Women’s Center offers labor and delivery services and a NICU unit.

Baptist Health Princeton Hospital provides emergency services, cardiovascular care, women services, COPD care, a sleep center and even a certified primary stroke center.

UAB MEDICAL WEST

An affiliate of the UAB Health System, UAB Medical West first opened its doors in 1964. Last August UAB Medical West debuted its new 412,000-squarefoot, nine-story hospital on 46 acres in Bessemer.

The new acute-care hospital has 200 beds, a dozen operating rooms, a 30-exam-room emergency department, additional intensive care beds and a surgical suite. It is also home to a sevenstory, 127,000-square-foot medical office building.

Besides the hospital, UAB Medical West operates several health centers across west Alabama. They include two in Jefferson County: a primary care center in Hueytown and a primary and specialty care center in Hoover.

BIRMINGHAM VETERANS ADMINISTRATION HEALTH CARE SYSTEM

Veterans pursuing health care at the Birmingham VA Medical Center on the city’s south side can access a range of services

there, from a visit with a primary care doctor to getting treatment from specialists in areas such as oncology, cardiology, neurology and mental health.

Patients also can visit the various VA health clinics scattered across the county. The clinics include the Birmingham VA Clinic, which is just blocks away from the medical center, and the Bessemer VA Clinic, which provides outpatient primary care services, eye care and mental health services.

The Birmingham East VA clinic also offers treatment for addiction, PTSD, military sexual trauma as well as suicide prevention and behavioral health care.

Last year, the Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association named the Birmingham VA Health Care System as a Center of Excellence, a designation given to clinics that provide compassionate, efficient and supportive care to patients with ALS.

The Birmingham VA is one of only nine VA centers in the United States to achieve the honor.

COOPER GREEN MERCY HEALTH SERVICES AUTHORITY

The Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority, an affiliate of the UAB Health System, opened its new ambulatory outpatient clinic last fall.

The five-story, 211,000-square-foot Cooper Green Mercy Health, open since last December, provides medical services such as primary and urgent care, radiology and oncology. It is also home to several specialty clinics and a pharmacy.

Cooper Green Mercy Health operates under an agreement between the UAB Health System and Jefferson County.

ENCOMPASS HEALTH LAKESHORE REHABILITATION HOSPITAL

The health care teams at Encompass Health Lakeshore in Homewood provide rehabilitation care for patients recovering from hip fractures, joint replacements, brain injuries, spinal cord injuries, stroke, amputations, and other orthopedic and neurological disorders and conditions.

Movers & Shapers

STEVE AMMONS is president and CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance, which serves as the city’s chamber of commerce. Earlier, Ammons represented District 5 on the Jefferson County Commission and chaired the Economic Development and the Information Technology committees. He also is a former mayor pro-tempore on the Vestavia Hills City Council, and he is the founder of the Vestavia Hills Police and Fire Department foundations that support first responders and their families. Ammons is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

ANUPAM AGARWAL is the senior vice president for medicine and dean of the UAB Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine. Agarwal also is a professor of medicine, biochemistry and molecular genetics in the School of Medicine’s Division of Nephrology and program director of the NIH-funded UAB-UC San Diego Center for Acute Kidney Injury Research, and he holds the James C. Lee Jr. Endowed Chair. Agarwal earned his medical degree from Kasturba Medical College of Mangalore in India and completed his internal medicine residency and a nephrology fellowship at the Postgraduate Institute of Medical Education and Research in Chandigarh, India, plus additional fellowships in the U.S.

and as the probate judge for Jefferson County. He is credited with writing the Alabama Putative Father Registry law that protects the rights of unwed fathers by requiring that they be notified of adoption petitions involving their children. For his work, Bolin won the national “Angels of Adoption” prize in 2000. Bolin earned his undergraduate and law degrees from Samford University. He remains an active member of the Alabama Probate Judges Association.

GREGORY CURRAN is chairman of the board at the Birminghambased law firm Maynard Nexsen. Over his career, Best Lawyers has tapped Curran as “Lawyer of the Year” in numerous practice areas, including venture capital law, corporate governance law, corporate law and mergers and acquisitions law. Curran earned his bachelor’s degree from Vanderbilt University and his law degree from the University of Alabama School of Law. He is past chairman of the Birmingham Business Alliance board and served on the boards of the United Way of Central Alabama and the University of Alabama at Birmingham Research Foundation.

has led Stone Building in many highprofile projects around the state of Alabama, including the Coca-Cola Amphitheater in Birmingham, the new air cargo facility at the BirminghamShuttlesworth International Airport and the new scoreboard at Jordan-Hare Stadium in Auburn. Drummond is a licensed engineer who holds a bachelor’s degree from Furman University, a second bachelor’s degree in civil engineering from Auburn University and an MBA from the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

WAYMOND JACKSON is president of Birminghambased Ed Farm, a digital education partner for K-12 educators, students and the workforce founded through a partnership with Apple and the Alabama Power Foundation. Jackson has overseen initiatives such as Ed Farm Learn, an online learning platform for educators, and the annual Ed Farm Innovation Challenge that brings ed tech startups to school districts to solve problems. Jackson has appeared on the Development Counsellors International Top 40 Under 40 in economic development list, and he is a former Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives board member. He is a graduate of the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

MIKE BOLIN is a member of the Jefferson County Commission, representing District 5. Earlier, Bolin served on the Alabama Supreme Court

is president of Stone Building Co., a commercial general contractor headquartered in Birmingham. Drummond

RACHEL LARY, an attorney at Lightfoot, Franklin & White in Birmingham, serves as national litigation counsel for several Fortune 500 corporations. She has been recognized by Benchmark Litigation and by Best

Lawyers in America and has been named a “Lawyer of the Year” for Birmingham in the Best Lawyers 2026 edition. Lary is a University of Alabama graduate with a law degree from Samford University. She chairs the Girls Inc. of Central Alabama board and helped launch the group’s new annual event, the Bold Futures Breakfast, which raises funds for the organization’s new college and career readiness initiative, Project Accelerate.

RACHEL MOOREHEAD is executive director of the IT infrastructure and operations team at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, overseeing virtual and physical IT infrastructure, servers, databases, data centers and cloud services. Her accomplishments include building a $26.5 million IT data center and personnel space. In addition, she is a parttime instructor in the UAB Department of Computer Science. This spring, Business Alabama magazine named her as one of 25 Top Women in Tech in the state. Moorehead is a graduate of Georgia Institute of Technology and has a master’s from the University of Georgia.

NICOLE TUREAUD NEWELL is operations director for J.M. Smucker’s new Uncrustables plant in McCalla. She has more than 25 years of experience in the chemical industry and serves on the boards of the Birmingham Business Alliance and the Bessemer Area Chamber of Commerce. She also is the assistant secretary for the Delta Sigma Theta Sorority Inc. Jefferson County

alumnae chapter. A graduate of Xavier University with a master’s degree from Purdue University, she also holds a certificate from the Wharton School of the University of Pennsylvania’s Executive Development Program.

JEFF PEOPLES is chairman, president and CEO of Alabama Power Co. He has more than 40 years of experience with Alabama Power and its parent, Southern Co. A native of Alabama, Peoples earned his bachelor’s degree in chemistry and biological science from Lee University in Tennessee. He is chairman of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama and serves on the boards of the Alabama Power Foundation, Business Council of Alabama, the Center for Construction Research and Training and TradesFutures.

JASON PHILLIPPE is state president of United Community Bank. United Community Bank has multiple branches in Jefferson County and across the state. He began his banking career with Wells Fargo, moved to AmSouth, then Regions, where he worked 19 years. He is active in community affairs in North Alabama, including the boards of Huntsville Hospital Foundation and Downtown Huntsville Inc.; active in Downtown Huntsville Rotary Club and former board chair of 305 8th Street and Downtown Huntsville Inc. He is a graduate of Auburn University with additional banking credentials from Vanderbilt University.

RAY WATTS is the longest serving president of the University of Alabama at Birmingham, a position he was named to in 2013. A Birmingham native, Watts is a graduate of the UAB School of Engineering. He earned his medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine, completed his neurology residency, medical internship and clinical fellowship at Harvard Medical School and Massachusetts General Hospital; and completed a medical staff research fellowship at the National Institutes of Health. In 2025, he was named CEO of the Year by Business Alabama and has been inducted into the Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame. He also currently is interim CEO at Southern Research. He serves on numerous boards, including Prosper Birmingham, Innovation Depot, Birmingham Business Alliance and others.

DAN WILLIAMS is the new president and CEO of the Greater Birmingham Convention and Visitors Bureau. Before moving to Birmingham, Williams was the senior director of convention sales and the vice president of sales for Experience Columbus, the destination marketing firm for the Columbus, Ohio, area. He has been an active member of a number of professional organizations, including the American Society of Association Executives, the Destination Marketing Association International, the Professional Convention Management Association and the National Coalition of Black Meeting Planners.

JOHN M. WILLIAMS is an investment counselor at Leavell Investments in Birmingham. He joined Leavell in 2007 after serving as managing director in the institutional fixed income division of Morgan Keegan’s Birmingham office and as vice president in the institutional investment banking division of Compass Bank. A graduate of the University of Alabama, he has worked in investment management since 1980. Williams has served on the UAB Comprehensive Cancer Board and is currently on The University of Alabama President’s Cabinet. He is past captain and treasurer of the Monday Morning Quarterback Club.

NICHOLAS WILLIS is the regional president of PNC Bank North and Central Alabama, where he is charged with leading growth across the state, overseeing areas such as wealth management, community development banking, public finance and institutional banking. He is active in Rotary Club of Birmingham and has served as vice chair of the Birmingham Business Alliance board and on the boards of the Alabama Symphony Orchestra, Business Council of Alabama and the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama. Willis is a University of Alabama graduate.

RANDALL WOODFIN is mayor of Birmingham, recently elected to his third term. His accomplishments include a focus on affordable housing, including a partnership with GROWTH Homes to build 52 affordable single-family homes in the Pratt City community. Also, the city and other partners broke ground this summer on The Cottages on Georgia Road, another affordable housing initiative. The city also launched Embrace Mothers, a program to provide 110 single mothers in Birmingham with a monthly income for one year. Woodfin also is a past president of the Birmingham Board of Education. He is a graduate of Morehouse College, and Samford University’s Cumberland School of Law.

Higher Education

From community colleges to nationally and internationally renowned universities, Jefferson County is blessed with institutions of higher learning that are advancing scholarship, scientific research and medicine, and changing the landscape in the communities where they stand.

UNIVERSITY OF ALABAMA AT BIRMINGHAM

The University of Alabama at Birmingham is an internationally renowned research university that offers more than 180 degree programs.

U.S. News & World Report international rankings listed UAB in the top 6% among global universities at No. 164 out of 2,459 schools. It is Alabama’s highest ranked school in the global university category.

Other rankings by U.S. News & World Report for 2025 include the following:

• The UAB School of Health Professions’ Master of Science in Health Administration program is No. 1 in the nation for health care management.

• The UAB School of Nursing’s Mas-

ter of Science in Nursing program ranked No. 11 out of 130 ranked schools.

• UAB also ranks No. 15 both for Health Policy and Management and for Public Health

• No. 17 for Physical Therapy and No. 17 for Social and Behavior Sciences

• No. 18 for Biostatistics in the School of Public Health

Fortune also honored the school for its computer science and cybersecurity master’s programs.

In the fall of 2024, UAB welcomed 20,905 students to a campus busy with construction projects.

UAB has taken down several older buildings this year, including Denman Hall and the old Humanities Building.

The university demolished the Education Building in 2023 to make room for the new Science and Engineering Complex. This new complex consists of two buildings, East and South Science Hall and Gorrie Hall, that is a launching pad for students in the College of Arts and Sciences and the School of Engineering.

And recently, UAB added or renovated several student spaces, including Ryals School of Public Health that is scheduled

for completion this fall.

Meanwhile, renovation of the Susan Mott Webb Nutrition Sciences Building was completed this summer.

In 2024, the university wrapped up construction of the new Student Assembly Building, and the 14th Street Parking Deck.

Construction on the $190 million UAB Biomedical Research and Psychology Building is expected to be complete by Spring 2027. The eight-story building will house the Marnix E. Heersink School of Medicine and the College of Arts and Sciences’ Department of Psychology. The project is supported with $152 million in federal funding.

The Biomedical Research and Psychology Building project is supported by $152 million in federal funding and the Heersink School of Medicine and College of Arts and Sciences.

The Altec Styslinger Genomic Medicine & Data Sciences Building and the Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation Conference Center, completed spring 2025, involved a renovation of the Lyons-Harrison Research Building. The renovation provides more space for computational research and other work.

A ribbon cutting for the Altec Styslinger Genomic Medicine & Data Sciences Building is scheduled for October.

Another UAB building that is getting a renovation is Bartow Arena — a $14.6 million project to improve seating, lighting and other facilities.

SAMFORD UNIVERSITY

Open since 1841, Samford University is a private institution in Homewood, just outside of Birmingham.

Samford has 6,101 students from 45 states and Puerto Rico and 16 countries.

The Wall Street Journal this year ranked Samford No. 8 in the nation for career preparation, offering networking opportunities and career support.

Some Samford schools are gaining recognition for student achievement.

Samford’s accounting candidates in the Brock School of Business, for example, achieved the highest first-time pass rate in Alabama on the Certified Public Accountant exam and is ranked among the top

5% in the nation.

In addition, Samford’s Moffett & Sanders School of Nursing’s fourth consecutive BSN cohort achieved a 100% first-time pass rate on the NCLEXRN licensure exam in 2024.

And last year, Samford opened its new $85 million, 165,000-square-foot Campus Recreation, Wellness and Athletics Complex. The facility features basketball, racquetball and pickleball courts and other amenities.

LAWSON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Lawson State Community College first opened in 1949 as Wenonah State Technical Institute. Today, the college is a two-year HCBU institution with campuses in two locations in Jefferson County — Birmingham and Bessemer.

The college offers academic programs and career-track programs in nursing, manufacturing, logistics and supply chain management, cosmetology and hospitality management, to name a few.

Lawson State reports that in FY 20232024 its enrollment was 4,739 for credit students and 2,624 non-credit students.

The Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing recently granted Lawson State Community College continued accreditation for its associate degree and practical nursing programs.

Lawson State also recently entered a partnership with Birmingham City Schools, allowing qualified high school students to work simultaneously on high school and college credit.

MILES COLLEGE

Established in 1898, Miles College is a private, historically Black, liberal arts institution in Fairfield, with a student enrollment of approximately 1,500.

Miles College’s six academic divisions offer close to 30 bachelor’s degree programs, and the college ranks No. 83 in the nation for Regional Colleges in the South on U.S. News and World Report’s Best Colleges list.

Last year, Miles College announced several new degree programs in artificial intelligence, sports management and interdisciplinary studies.

And now, for the first time, Miles is offering master’s degree programs. The first is a Master of Arts in religious stud-

ies. The second is a Master of Science in management. In addition, students in this graduate program who are interested in a sports-related career can pursue a concentration in sports management.

JEFFERSON STATE COMMUNITY COLLEGE

Jefferson State Community College is a public, two-year community college with campuses in Jefferson, Shelby, St. Clair and Chilton counties.

The college had 12,736 for-credit students and 8,749 non-credit students in 2023-2024.

This July, Jefferson State Community College’s Culinary and Hospitality Institute announced a new degree option, Catering and Event Planning.

Jefferson State also began offering a new Customer Service Professional Program this spring at its Shelby-Hoover Campus. Students in the program learn communications, customer relationship sales, problem-solving and cultural competence.

FAULKNER UNIVERSITY

Faulkner University is a private, Christian liberal arts university based in Montgomery with additional campuses in Birmingham and Huntsville.

Faulkner University launched its new Bachelor of Science in Nursing Program in August.

In addition, this summer, Faulkner University and Thompson Insurance Inc., signed two agreements to launch new scholarship and internship opportunities for students studying for a bachelor of science degree in risk management and insurance through Faulkner’s Harris College’s Business Stumbaugh School of Risk Management & Insurance.

HIGHLANDS COLLEGE

Highlands College is a private, four-year Christian institution dedicated to preparing students for leadership in ministry.

In 2024, the college announced the completion of Phase 1 of The Village at Highlands College, providing on-campus housing for more than 100 students.

Community Development

Across Jefferson County, cities and towns are greenlighting mixed-use developments, upgrading public parks, building affordable housing, establishing new walking trails and partnering with schools, state agencies and other entities to improve learning, enhance the quality of life for their citizens and prepare the workforce of tomorrow.

The Jefferson County Commission, for example, recently committed $2 million for the remediation of a brownfield site — a term for property damaged by contamination — in the Kingston community on Birmingham’s east side.

Coca-Cola Bottling Company United is building its new corporate headquarters and a distribution facility on the brownfield site where the Stockham Valves and Fitting plant once stood. Besides the new Coca-Cola headquarters, the $330 million project will include a new warehouse, customer service center and a sales office. The project is scheduled for completion in 2027.

The Jefferson County Commission also has given the official green light for

the sale of the Hallmark Farms in Warrior to the Alabama Exhibition Center Corp. for $13.5 million.

The new owners plan to use the property, located just off I-65, to construct and run a new agricultural center. The Alabama Farm Center will host livestock shows and feature restaurants and entertainment.

The Commission also is investing in new walking trails through the region.

Jefferson County, in cooperation with the city of Birmingham, the Freshwater Land Trust and CSX Transportation, acquired an inactive rail line to construct a new trail called the Valley Creek Rail-toTrail. Funding for the $1.1 million deal came from Jefferson County; Birmingham City Council members in districts 6, 7 and 8; the Rails to Trails Conservancy; the Robert F. Meyer Foundation; and others.

The 4.5-mile Valley Creek Rail-to-Trail pathway will connect west Birmingham and the Birmingham CrossPlex to Red Mountain Park and the 3.1-mile High Ore Line Greenway.

Another development was the Jefferson County Micro Business Accelerator, which made its debut last year. The accelerator supports small businesses in the county with resources designed to help them thrive, encourage job creation and help entrepreneurs to grow their businesses. The help includes coaching from business experts and advice on how to attract investors and access other funding sources.

The Micro Business Accelerator came about through partnerships among economic development agencies and chambers of commerce throughout Jefferson County.

The city of Birmingham teamed with the Penny Foundation Inc. this fall to combat school absenteeism. Birmingham committed $43,000 for a plan to offer parents the chance to win $500 if their child was registered and present on the first day of school.

Birmingham also has moved forward on a project to bring more affordable housing to the city. Birmingham’s Home for All is a pilot project that aims to build 15 microshelters, or tiny homes, in the city. The city selected Faith Chapel Care Center to manage the development and provide a range of support services for the residents.

The pilot project will cost around $2.4 million and is scheduled for completion by the end of this year. About half of the expenditures are designated for constructing the microshelters while the other half will fund the operations. The project’s stated goal is to provide residents with the assistance they need to move into more permanent housing.

In addition, the city of Birmingham this year announced the start of site development in the Pratt City

neighborhood’s Shadow Brook subdivision to build 52 affordable, singlefamily houses in collaboration with GROWTH Homes.

The city also has announced plans to build 27 single-family houses in Belview Heights’ Oak Hill subdivision and 16 in the Woodlawn community.

Next door in Homewood, the City Council approved $1 million to renovate Central Park. The Homewood park, which reopened this summer, features new swing sets, a ninja course and other playground equipment.

In addition, the city installed a new playground surface, a synthetic turf known as playground grass that is compliant with the Americans with Disabilities Act and allows children with mobility issues to travel over the ground more easily.

In Hoover, the city’s Planning and Zoning Commission in January 2025 approved the first phase plans for the mixed-use Riverwalk Village development in Riverchase Office Park.

The first phase covers 10.3 acres of a 90-acre tract just off the Riverchase Parkway, and it will be part of a larger plan for the Riverwalk Village Health and Wellness Center.

In the first phase, Signature Homes plans to construct 66 one- and two-

bedroom apartments and 30 townhomes. Besides apartments and townhomes, plans for Riverwalk Village Health and Wellness Center include green spaces, retail shops and medical facilities.

Meanwhile, Costco is coming to the suburb of Irondale. The city announced this year that the members-only warehouse club would build a new store on Grants Mill Trail. This will be the retailer’s second store in Jefferson County and its sixth in Alabama.

In addition, the city of Irondale broke ground this summer on the town’s civic center renovation project. The renovation will cost approximately $20 million.

The Irondale Civic Center building was once the Zamora Temple, which the city acquired in 2022 for $5 million. The city hired Shelby General Contractors, Williams Blackstock Architects and Kemp Management Solutions for the project.

The city of Irondale also completed a $643,000 sidewalk project this year so residents can walk or jog from the city’s downtown to the elementary school. The sidewalk project was paid for with funds from the state and matching funds from the city.

On the western side of Jefferson County in Fairfield, the HBCU Miles College partnered with Birmingham City Schools this summer to hold a dual-track summer camp for middle schoolers. Students could either explore a science, technology, engineering and mathematics pathway or a literacy track. Camp organizers designed the program to help youngsters enhance their core competencies.

In addition, the city of Birmingham selected Miles College and the Institute of Research for Social Justice in Action for three community-based initiatives — a youth jobs program, an entrepreneurship program and an intensive training for adults and grassroots leaders to cultivate a network of community leaders to bring transformational change.

Culture & Recreation

UPTOWN DOWNTOWN

The Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex hosts live music concerts, meetings, exhibitions and sporting events. The complex includes the 45,000-seat Protective Stadium, the 9,380-seat CocaCola Amphitheater and Legacy Arena, which seats about 19,000.

Other facilities include the Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum, which celebrates sports legends with memorabilia dating back to its first inductees in 1969, and the Uptown Entertainment District, featuring a number of restaurants and bars.

REMEMBERING THE PAST

Jefferson County’s largest city, Birmingham, was once an epicenter of the civil rights movement with memorable acts of protests for racial equality in the early 1960s.

Today, visitors to the city can see some of the most iconic buildings and spaces from that era at the Birmingham Civil Rights National Monument. It features the fully restored A.G. Gaston Motel that served as the “war room” for civil rights leaders like Martin Luther King Jr.

Other sites within the National Monument are the Sixteenth Street Baptist Church and Bethel Baptist Church, which white supremacists bombed; Kelly Ingram Park, where protesters often gathered before their marches; parts of the 4th Avenue Business District; and the Birmingham Civil Rights Institute.

The Birmingham Civil Rights Institute houses a massive collection of

photos, documents, artifacts and nearly 500 oral histories from the civil rights movement in Birmingham. The exhibits include a replica of the Freedom Riders bus and the door to the jail cell of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., where he wrote his famous “Letter from a Birmingham Jail.”

Other spots in Jefferson County to remember the past include the Alabama Veterans Memorial Park. The 21-acre landscaped memorial honors the 11,000 Alabamians killed in action since 1900.

And the Birmingham Holocaust Education Center features exhibits and programs centered on remembering the horrors of the Holocaust during World War II.

Other historic highlights include the former pig iron plant Sloss Furnaces and Vulcan Park & Museum that celebrates the city’s industrial roots and where one can see the world’s largest cast-iron statue.

MUSE ON IT

Jefferson County is home to a number of museums where young and old can explore art from around the world, science, technology and inventions that brought about the modern age.

One of the major galleries is The Birmingham Museum of Art, which houses more than 29,000 paintings, drawings, sculptures, prints and other exhibits.

On Birmingham’s east side is the Southern Museum of Flight where visitors can learn about the history of aviation, view more than 100 historic

aircrafts and take to the skies – virtually that is – in the museum’s Simulator Lab.

But for motorcycle and race car enthusiasts, the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds is the place to be. Visitors also can watch races at the Barber Motorsports Park next door.

Baseball fans can tour the historic Rickwood Field, the nation’s oldest professional baseball park. Rickwood Field once welcomed baseball legends from Jackie Robinson and Babe Ruth to Willie Mays in his Negro League days. The nearby Negro Southern League Museum preserves artifacts and stories of African Americans who played the game of baseball.

ONTO THE FAIRWAY

Jefferson County offers numerous public and private courses, including two stops on the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail — the 54-hole Oxmoor Valley complex just southwest of Birmingham and Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa, an 18-hole course that is one of the longest in the world.

HAPPY TRAILS

The Red Rock Trail System features 160 miles of trails, bike lanes and sidewalks and brings green space within a mile of nearly every resident in the county.

People in downtown Birmingham also can walk, jog or bike along the Rotary Trail or visit City Walk BHAM. The City Walk stretches for 10 blocks beneath the I-59/20 interstate, links Birmingham’s downtown area to the Civil Rights District and offering a skate park, stage and setting for festivals and events.

FARM FRESH

What was once a Dr Pepper bottling plant is a now a destination, Pepper Place Pepper Place in Birmingham offers fine dining restaurants, locally owned shops and a Saturday farmer’s market open from 7 a.m. to noon Jan. 25 through Dec. 13.

PARKS, PARKS, PARKS

Public parks and greenspaces are everywhere throughout Jefferson County’s 35 municipalities. Visitors to downtown Birmingham can jog or walk through Railroad Park

Other Birmingham parks include Red

Mountain Park and Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve. And in the suburbs, visitors can check out Black Creek Park in Fultondale, DeBardeleben Park in Bessemer, Glen Oaks Park in Fairfield, Patriot Park in Homewood, and Moss Rock Preserve in Hoover. In Gardendale, in north Jefferson County, is the Bill Noble Athletic & Recreational Park featuring grass and turf facilities for baseball and softball, football, tennis and pickleball courts, and courts for beach volleyball and basketball and a state-ofthe-art children’s playground.

FAMILY FUN

Jefferson County offers plenty of fun attractions for kids and parents, too.

The McWane Science Center, a science museum in downtown Birmingham, features exhibits from aquariums and the Bubble Room to the IMAX theater and the Explore! Lab. In July, Fun City Adventure Park opened with activities from rock climbing to a ninja course.

On the west side of the county, in Bessemer, is Alabama Adventure Amusement Park & Splash Adventure featuring rides, water slides, wave pool and lazy river.

Another kid-friendly destination is the Birmingham Zoo — home to hundreds of animals from around the world.

GARDENS GALORE

For those with green thumbs, visit the 67-acre Birmingham Botanical Gardens, and in Hoover, the 30-acre Aldridge Gardens

Another garden to see is at the Arlington Antebellum Home and Gardens. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places, Arlington is Birmingham’s only surviving antebellum home.

IN THE SPOTLIGHT

The restored Lyric Theatre and Alabama Theatre both shine as historic venues in downtown Birmingham. Both now showcase live performances and more.

Looking for a few laughs? Drop in at the Stardome Comedy Club in Hoover for acts by famous and up-and-coming comedians as well as a restaurant and bar.

Career Notes

ACCOUNTING

Glenn F. Till Jr., of Till Hester Eyer & Brown, is celebrating his 50th year in the accounting profession.

Kelly McGhee has been named chief financial officer of Jackson Thornton. In addition, Rachel Cochran has been promoted to controller; Rachel Cobb, Mary Freeman, Seth Justice, Tyler Mitchell and Jessica Moncus to manager; Dan Lindley to senior technology consultant; Leah Benefield, Courtney Davidson, Allison Estes, Emma Gunter, Tarh’Ja Perryman and Jack Wright to supervisor; Wyatt Barnett, Christian Clark, Jordan Craft, Anne Catherine Curtis, Kodi Garrett, Lauren Hahn, Karlie Hughes, Mary-Scott Milner, Bailey O’Ferrell, Josie Smith, Gabi Watson and Abbey Whitmer to senior associate.

ARCHITECTURE

David Entrekin has joined Goodwyn Mills Cawood as survey manager.

BANKING

United Community has hired Will Quinlivan and Chris Jackson as senior vice president-commercial relationship managers, both in the Huntsville location.

ServisFirst Bank has promoted Davis Mange to corporate treasurer and director of investor relations, senior vice president and Mark Tarnakow

by ERICA JOINER WEST

to director of financial planning and analysis, senior vice president. The bank has also added Jacob Bridges as vice president and commercial relationship banker and Mary Kate Moore as private banker.

River Bank & Trust has opened a branch in Tuscaloosa and hired Jill Slaton to serve as market president.

Dwight Gamble, chairman, president and CEO of HNB First Bank in Headland, has been named chairman of the Alabama Bankers Association board of directors.

DEFENSE

Torch Technologies co-founders Bill Roark and Don Holder are the recipients of the Dr. Julian Davidson Leadership in Missile Defense and Space Technology Award from the SMD Symposium.

EDUCATION

James Mitchell has retired from his position as president of Wallace Community College in Selma. The student center on campus is being renamed in his honor.

Scarlet Thompson has been named executive director of the University of Montevallo Foundation

HEALTH CARE

Urshita Sinha, M.D., has joined USA Health at the Mastin Internal Medicine Clinic and University Hospital.

James Clements, CEO of Cullman Regional Medical Center, has been appointed to Alabama Rural Roadmap Initiative.

Scott Bracci has been named chief operating officer of Crestwood Medical Center in Huntsville.

INSURANCE

Palomar Insurance Corp. has expanded its Risk Consulting Services with Danny McPeters

LEGAL

Robert Riccio has joined Outside Chief Legal LLC as an officer.

Carole Smitherman has joined Miles Law School as dean.

REAL ESTATE

ReSeed Partners has promoted Doug McCrary to president, Laura Krannich to chief platform officer and David Bergeron to senior advisor. In addition, Lee Thompson has joined the firm as chief financial officer.

TECHNOLOGY

Command Alkon Vice President of East Regional Sales Michael Hoagland has been appointed to the board of directors for the Concrete Industry Management National Steering Committee.

TOURISM

Cullman County Tourism Bureau

Executive Director Harmony Heard has received the Tourism Industry Employee of the Year award from the Alabama Governor’s Conference on Tourism. She also recently has been inducted into the Alabama Travel Council.

TRANSPORTATION

Pitts Trailers has hired Crystal Washington as its new supply chain manager.

WORKFORCE

Franklin Johnson has been named chief of the Workforce Development Division of the Alabama Department of Workforce

From Paris to Mobile:

The French artisan who helped shape Alabama’s early identity

Mobile’s poet, jeweler and pioneer Jean Simon Chaudron

By SCOTTY E. KIRKLAND

Among the souls buried in Mobile’s Church Street Graveyard there lies a French-born artisan, orator and writer. In his first 25 years in America, Jean Simon Chaudron plied his trade in Philadelphia and counted Founding Fathers as clientele.

Few have been more simultaneously ardent in their devotion to two nations; Chaudron was thoroughly French and proudly American. He came to Alabama in 1819, in the months before statehood, drawn to an unfamiliar place by dreams of a new colony of French refugees. The man known for producing fine pieces of jewelry and silverwork traded the bustling streets of Philadelphia for the fields of an Alabama frontier.

He was born on Oct. 28, 1758, in the French province of Champagne. Raised by an aunt and uncle, he was apprenticed to a Swiss silversmith. Early in his career, he began a lifelong attachment with Freemasonry. In Paris, he was associated with Neuf Soeurs (“the Nine Sisters”), a lodge whose membership rolls reportedly included Benjamin Franklin and the philosopher Voltaire.

A silver tea and coffee

ABOVE: This portrait of Chaudron was made by celebrated artist Saint-Mémin, who boarded with Chaudron during an extended stay in Philadelphia, circa 1801. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

In 1784, Chaudron migrated to the French colony of Saint Dominique, known today as Haiti. He busied himself for several years exporting French goods and silver to America. In 1791, he married Jeanne Genevieve Stollenwerck. They would have 11 children. Two years later, amidst the Haitian Revolution, Chaudron and his growing family came to America. They settled in Philadelphia, where he had previously traveled on several occasions. Here, in the capital of the young, American nation, Chaudron went into business as a silversmith, watchmaker and jeweler. Here he became a naturalized citizen in 1805.

His skills and his Masonic connections endeared him to many well-known residents in and out of government. In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson purchased a fine watch from Chaudron as a gift for a granddaughter.

Chaudron’s role in producing sought after pieces of silver appears to have focused on the finer details. As a jeweler, he would have been skilled in engraving and adding embellishments and other intricacies to the silver produced by his associates. Some of his finest work came in partnership with Anthony Rasch, a Bavarian immigrant who trained as a silversmith in Germany. Pieces bearing their marks are now held in museums in New York, Illinois and Alabama.

Hundreds of French immigrants lived in Philadelphia at the time, and Chaudron placed himself at the center of their vibrant cultural community.

On New Year’s Day, 1800, he delivered a celebrated public eulogy for George Washington. At the French lodge L’ménité, in a room draped in black crape, Chaudron spoke at length on the life of the nation’s first president. He contrasted Washington’s inauguration with the “pompous entry of sovereigns” in other countries he had witnessed. Chaudron called upon coming generations to visit the places where Washington had walked — the battlefields and halls of early American power — in his honor and to “water the [places] of his triumph with tears of gratitude.”

Translated quickly into English, Chaudron’s oration enjoyed wide distribution. That the orator was French no doubt gave added cachet to his words, since they were delivered at a time when his native land and adopted America were in a near state of warfare. President John Adams called the memorial “exquisite…. one of the handsomest compliments to the memory of the General.”

In 1815, the artisan and orator also became an editor. Chaudron’s name appeared atop the masthead of L’Abeille Americaine (“The American Bee”), a popular new Frenchlanguage weekly newspaper. Thomas Jefferson ranked among the paper’s regular readers. Joseph Bonaparte, brother to Napoleon, was a financial backer.

Chaudron used the paper to advocate for a new commercial venture: the ill-fated Vine and Olive Colony established by French expatriates in Marengo County, near present-day Demopolis. Scholars credit Chaudron’s editorials with helping

popularize the notion of a land grant for the cultivation of olives and grapes. In 1817, the U.S. Congress laid aside 92,000 acres for the purpose.

Chaudron’s motives were pure. He wanted to establish his large family as landowners in the opening American frontier. He further wrote to a friend of his desire to “get out of the mire of large cities where nothing is fashionable but prejudice and pride.”

An elder son went to the new colony first. Once their land was cleared and construction of a home was underway, other family members made the trek. In the spring of 1819, after 25 years in Philadelphia, the time came for 61-year-old Jean Simon Chaudron to make the journey. Prior to his departure, he penned a farewell to Thomas Jefferson. In his warm reply, the former president offered “best wishes for your prosperity, health and happiness and assurances of my great esteem & respect.”

In Marengo County, Chaudron continued writing, turning increasingly to patriotic verse about French and American history. A collection of these works was published in France in 1841, by which time failing eyesight from cataracts had earned Chaudron a sobriquet as “The Blind Poet of the Canebrake.”

Cultivating olives and making wine in Alabama proved a far greater challenge than the colonists expected. Obstacles mounted. Their imported vines withered and died. The financial Panic of 1819 slowed land sales and devalued the property. Cottonhungry land speculators circled. Within 15 years, most French landowners sold their plots and left. In 1825, Chaudron made his way to Mobile. In Alabama’s port city, founded by the French in 1702, he hung his shingle once again, repairing watches and ship chronometers, selling silver and dabbling in the importation of French goods. As he had done in Philadelphia, Chaudron became an integral part of Mobile’s culture.

Chaudron died on Oct. 28, 1846, on the occasion of his 88th birthday. As a Parisian newspaper noted at the time of his passing, “He had no other masters than his natural lights, his love of labor, and his thirst for knowledge.” He was a self-made man, a joiner and risk-taker, an artist, editor and orator, a dreamer, a Frenchman and an American. Full indeed, were the years of his long life.

Historian Scotty E. Kirkland is a freelance contributor to Business Alabama. He lives in Wetumpka.

ABC 33/40 .......................................................94

Abdallah, Munit 8

Acclinate Inc. 64

Accreditation Commission for Education in Nursing...................................74

Adams, Adrian 13

Adams, President John 90

Agarwal, Anupam 71

Airbus Americas 22

Alabama Adventure Amusement

Park & Splash Adventure ....................... 61, 79

Alabama Aviation College 22

Alabama Bankers Association 45, 89

Alabama Banking School .................................45

Alabama Commission on Higher Education 45

Alabama Community College System 22

Alabama Department of Commerce .............. 9, 64

Alabama Department of Workforce 89

Alabama Engineering Hall of Fame 71

Alabama Exhibition Center Corp.......................77

Alabama Farm Center 77

Alabama Governor’s Conference on Tourism 89

Alabama Launchpad ........................................64

Alabama Legislature 7, 10

Alabama Power Co. 10, 64, 71

Alabama Power Foundation .............................36

Alabama Probate Judges Association 71

Alabama Putitive Father Registry 71

Alabama River Cellulose Mill .............................8

Alabama Rural Roadmap Initiative 89

Alabama Society of CPAs 45

Alabama Sports Hall of Fame Museum .............79

Alabama State University 45

Alabama Supreme Court 71

Alabama Symphony Orchestra .........................71

Alabama Theatre 79

Alabama Travel Council 89

Alabama Veterans Memorial Park ....................79

Alabama, State of 10

Aldridge Borden OneSource 94

Aldridge Gardens ............................................79

Allison, Karly 45

Altec Industries 67

Amazon Inc. .............................................. 64, 67

Amerex Corp. 67

American Banker Magazine 94

American Cast Iron Pipe Co......................... 64, 67

American College of Surgeons 8, 69

American Heart Association 69

American Hospital Association .........................39

American Society of Association Executives 71

Americans with Disabilities Act 77

AmFirst/America’s First Federal Credit Union.....94

Ammons, Steve 71

AmSouth Bank 45, 71

Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis Association.........69

Anglin Reichmann Armstrong PC 94 Apple Inc. 71

Arlington Antebellum House and Gardens........79

Ascension St. Vincent’s Health System 64, 69

Associated Builders and Contractors of Alabama .................................................11

Associated Press 8

Association of Chamber of Commerce Executives..................................71

Association of Zoos and Aquariums 8

Assurant Ventures/Assurant Inc. 36

AT&T Inc. .........................................................64

Athens Business Park 10

Athens State University 22, 45

Atlanta Technical College .................................22

Auburn University 8, 17, 22, 71

Auburn University - Montgomery 45

Auburn University Regional Airport .................22

Auburn University School of Aviation 17

AVIC International 13

Baker, Jay 45

Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance 94

Baldwin Humane Society .................................11

Baldwin Preparatory Academy 94

Bank Independent 45

A guide to businesses (bold) and individuals (light) mentioned in this month’s issue of Business Alabama.

Bank Independent Stadium ...............................8

Baptist Health .................................................69

Baptist Health Brookwood 69

Baptist Health Princeton ..................................69

Barber Motorsports Park ..................................79

Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum 79

Barnett, Wyatt 89

Bass Pro Shopping Center ................................11

Bates, Lisa 26

Bayou La Batre, City of .......................................7

BBVA/Banco Bilbao Vizcaya Argentaria S.A........45

Benchmark Litigation 71

Benefield, Leah 89

Bergeron, David 89

Berlin Marathon 45

Bertagnolli, Andrea 13

Bessemer

Bessemer

Bethel

Bierden,

Birdsong, James

Bishop State Community College 22

Black Creek Park, Fultondale 79

Tia 45

BNI/Business Network International ................45 Boeing Co. 17, 22

Bolin, Mike 71

Bonaparte, Joseph 90

Bonaparte, Napoleon 90

Bottomlee, David 17

Bracci, Scott 89

Brasfield & Gorrie 10, 61, 64

Bridges, Jacob 89

British Broadcasting Corp. .................................8

Brookley Air Force Base 13

Brookwood Baptist Medical Center 69

Brunner, Robert 10

Bryant Bank 45

Buffalo Rock 67

Business Council of Alabama ...........................71

C&B

City Walk BHAM ..............................................79

Civil Rights National Monument ......................61

Clark, Christian 89

Clearview Cancer Institute ...............................10

Clements, James 89

CMC Steel 64

Cmodel Data Inc. .............................................64

Coastal Alabama Community College ...............22

Coca-Cola Amphitheater, Birmingham 71, 79

Coca-Cola Bottling Co. United .......... 61, 64, 67, 77

Cochran, Rachel 89

Command Alkon 89

Community Bank Partners of Madison County ..45

Community Food Bank of Central Alabama .......94

Compass Bank 45, 71

Continental Aerospace Technologies ................13

Continental Motors .........................................13

Cook Museum of Natural Science 7

Cooper Green Mercy Health........................ 64, 69

Costco Wholesale Corp. ....................................77

Craft, Jordan 89

Crawmama’s Restaurant ..................................94

Credit Suisse ...................................................45

Crestwood Medical Center 89

CSX Transportation ..........................................77

Cullman County Tourism Bureau ......................89

Cullman Regional Medical Center 89

Curran, Gregory 71

Curtis, Anne Catherine 89

Daniel, Paige 39

Dannelly Field, Montgomery ...........................22

Davidson, Courtney 89 Day, Horace Corbin 10

DeBardeleben Park, Bessemer .........................79

Decatur, City of ..................................................7

Delta Air Lines 17

Delta Sigma Theata Sorority Inc. .......................71

Dent Moses LLP ...............................................94

DeShazo, Kerri 45

Destination Market Association International ...71

Development Counsellors International ...........71

Dickerson, Juwan 45

Disability Resource Network ............................45

Dothan Area Chamber of Commerce .................45

Downtown Huntsville Inc. 71

Drummond, Justin 71

Economic Development Partnership of Alabama 71 Ed Farm, Birmingham ......................................71

Eisenhower, President Dwight 26 Ellis, Kathryn 45

Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University ..............22

Encompass Health Lakeshore Rehabilitation Hospital 64, 69

Engineering News Record 94

Enterprise State Community College ................22 Enterprise, City of 8

Entrekin, David 89

Ernst & Young..................................................45

Estes, Allison 89

Experience Columbus 71 Fairfield, City of ...............................................77

Faith Chapel Care Center 9, 77

Fall Protection Institute 11

Faulkner University .........................................74

Central

Central Park, Homewood .................................77

Cessna Aircraft

Ceynowa, Wayne

Chaudron, Jean Simon

James, Don 10

JamisonMoneyFarmer PC ................................94

Jefferson County 10, 61, 71, 77

Jefferson County Economic & Industrial Development Authority ..............................64

Jefferson County Micro Business Accelerator 64, 77

Jefferson Metropolitan North Industrial Park.......................................61,64

Jefferson State Community College 61, 64, 74

Jefferson, President Thomas 90

JeffMet McCalla Industrial Park .......................64

JeffMet North Industrial Park 61, 64

Jemison Investment Co. 10

Johns, John D. 10

Johnson, Franklin 89

Johnson, Lawrence 45

Johnson, Marcia 45

Jolly, Robert 94

Jordan-Hare Stadium, Auburn 71

Junior Achievement ........................................45

Junior League 45

Justice, Seth 89

Kamtek Inc. .....................................................67

Kassouf & Co. 94

Kasturba Medical College, India 71

Kelly Ingram Park, Birmingham.......................79

Kemp Management Solutions 77

Kennedy Space Center 26

King, Martin Luther Jr. 79

Kiwanis International 10, 45

KPMG U.S. Foundation 11

Kramer, Charles “Chuck” III 45

Krannich, Laura 89

L’Abeille Americaine 90

Lary, Rachel 71

Lawson State Community College 61, 64, 74

Leadership Dothan 45

Leadership in Flight Training Academy .............17

Leavell Investments 71

Lee University 71

Legacy Arena ...................................................79

Liberty National Building, Birmingham 9

Liberty University 17

Lightfoot, Franklin & White ..............................71

Lighthouse, The 11

Limestone County Economic Development Association ........................ 7, 45

Lindley, Dan 89

Linton Barbershop Plaza 10

Little River Canyon ............................................7

Lockheed Martin Corp. 7

Loftis Steel & Aluminum 9

Lyric Theatre ....................................................79

Machen McChesney LLP 94

Mange, Davis 89

Manna House, Huntsville ................................45

Marion Military Institute 22

Marshall Space Flight Center 26

Massachusetts General Hospital .......................71

Master Boat Builders 9

Maynard Nexsen 71

Mazda Toyota Manufacturing ...........................11

McCrary, Charles 10

McCrary, Doug 89

McGhee, Kelly 89

McNair, Ellen 9, 64

McPeters, Danny 89

McWane Inc......................................... 61, 64, 67

McWane Science Center 79

MidSouth Bank 45

Miles College ...................................... 64, 74, 77

Miles Law School 89

Miller, Scott 13

Milner, Mary-Scott 89

Mitchell, James M. 9, 89

Mitchell, Tyler 89

Mock, Jerrie 13

Moncus, Jessica 89

Monday Morning Quarterback Club 45, 71

Moore, Mary Kate 89

Moorehead, Rachel 71 Moran, Jim 11 Morehouse College 71

Keegan 71 Moss Rock Preserve, Hoover .............................79

Industries

Renasant

ReSeed

Retail Specialists 94

Retirement

Riccio,

River Bank & Trust 9, 45, 89

Riverchase Office Park 77

Riverdale Mill, Selma ......................................11

Riverwalk Village Health and Wellness Center 77

Roark, Bill 89

Robert F. Meyer Foundation 77

Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail 79

Robins & Morton .............................................10

Ross Bridge Golf Resort and Spa 79

Rotary International 71

Rotary Trail, Birmingham .................................79

Ruffner Mountain Nature Preserve 79

Russell, Tom 9

RxBenefits Inc. ................................................94

Samford University 9, 45, 64, 71, 74

Samms, Gillette 22

Sanders Aviation .............................................17

Sanders, Joseph Jr. 17

Scouting America 94

ServisFirst Bank .................................. 45, 64, 89

Shawn Esfahani Foundation 11

Shelby General Contractors 77

Shockney, Bethany 7

Signature Homes 77

Silsbee, Mead 94

Singleton, Hunter 45

Sinha, Urshita 89

Sinkfield, Alisa 45

Sixteenth Street Baptist Church, Birmingham ...79

Skylab, NASA 26

Slaton, Jill 89

Sloss Furnaces .................................................79

SmartBank/SmartFinancial Inc. 45

SMD Symposium 89

Smith, Jill 45

Smith, Josie 89

Smitherman, Carole 89

Snead State Community College ......................22

Southeast Alabama Community Foundation 45

Southeast Toyota 11

Southern Association of Colleges and Schools ...22

Southern Company 64, 71

Southern Museum of Flight 79

Southern Research .............................. 10, 64, 71

Southern Union State Community College 22

Space Camp, U.S. Space & Rocket Center 26

Space Launch System .......................................26

Space Shuttle Program, NASA 26

SpaceX/Space Exploration Technologies Corp. 26

Spain Park High School ....................................45

Spanish Fort, City of 11

Special Shapes Refractory 64

Spire Inc..........................................................64

Spring Hill College 8

St. James Hotel, Selma 8

Stadium Trace Village, Hoover ..........................64

Stardome Comedy Club 79

Stella Source 64

Stiles, Rusty 45

Stockham Valves and Fitting 77

Stollenwerck, Jeanne Genevieve 90

Stone Building Co............................................71

Synovus Bank 45 Takkion Operating LLC 9 Tarnakow, Mark 89 TechBirmingham 64 Tennessee Valley Authority 10 Thompson, Bob 45 Thompson,

Company Kudos

by ERICA JOINER WEST

AmFirst and ABC 33/40, in Birmingham, combined to collect nonperishable food items and monetary donations that will provide 87,000 meals through the Community Food Bank of Central Alabama.

The Baldwin County Economic Development Alliance has received three Excellence in Economic Development Awards from the International Economic Development Council. It was presented silver awards for talent development and retention and communications and a Site Selectors Guild’s Project with a Purpose Award for Baldwin Preparatory Academy.

CB&S Bank has been ranked No. 16 nationwide and No. 1 in Alabama in American Banker’s Top 20 TopPerforming Banks in the Nation within the $2 billion to $10 billion asset category. The bank also recently opened a new branch in Auburn.

Crawmama’s, a restaurant on Lake Guntersville, recently was crowned Bama’s Best Surf & Turf by Sweet Grown Alabama.

Hargrove Engineers & Constructors, of Mobile, has taken the No. 1 spot on Engineering News Record’s Sourcebook ranking for Chemicals. In the Top 500 Design Firms list, the company came in at No. 65 and No. 7 among Industrial Process Firms.

Inside Public Accounting has named its Top 500 Firms ranking. Alabamabased firms making the list are: Carr Riggs & Ingram (No. 23), Warren

Averett (No. 48), BMSS LLC (No. 79), Jackson Thornton (No. 141), Kassouf & Co. (No. 228), Anglin Reichmann Armstrong PC (No. 291), JamisonMoneyFarmer PC (No. 314), Dent Moses LLP (No. 373), Wilkins Miller LLC (No. 375), Machen McChesney LLP (No. 381) and Aldridge Borden OneSource (No. 401).

The Poarch Creek Indians have been selected as the 2025 Whitney M. Young Jr. Service Award Honoree by Scouting America – Mobile Area Council.

Retail Specialists, a commercial real estate firm in Birmingham, is celebrating its 20th anniversary. Founded by Robert Jolly and Mead Silsbee in 2005, the company has offices in Birmingham, Huntsville, Tuscaloosa, Auburn, Starkville, Atlanta, Fort Worth and California.

Birmingham-based RxBenefits has come in No. 2 for mentoring and No. 5 for supporting high-potential employees, and an overall ranking of No. 13 on Fair360’s Top 50 Companies list.

USA Health University Hospital has been named a High Performing Hospital in stroke care by U.S. News & World Report in its 2025-2026 Best Hospitals edition.

NOVEMBER

Higher Education Boosts the Economy

Real Estate for Your Business

Exceptional Educators Nonprofits Make Their Mark

Geographic Spotlight: Jackson, Marshall, DeKalb & Cherokee Counties

DECEMBER

Developing the State’s Economy Building Connections Overseas Best Companies to Work For in Alabama Geographic Spotlight: Lee, Russell & Macon Counties

Historic Alabama

MODEL BUSINESS

This 2010 photo by Carol M. Highsmith is of a model of the historic Harrison Brothers Hardware on South Side Square in Huntsville.

Founded in 1879 by brothers James and Daniel Harrison as a tobacco

Alabiz Quiz

October 2025:

Q: President Donald Trump announced this fall that the headquarters of the U.S. Space Command would move to Huntsville. Where is it coming from?

A) Cape Canaveral

B) Colorado Springs

C) Houston

D) Los Angeles

September 2025 (one month ago):

Q: A temporary solution was announced for Wilson Lock and Dam, designed to last a decade and allowing renewed river commerce in the meantime. What agency owns Wilson Lock and Dam?

A) Alabama Power

B) Alabama Waterways Commission

C) Tennessee Valley Authority

D) U.S. Coast Guard

store on Jefferson Street, the business was moved to its present location in 1897. Photo courtesy of the Library of Congress.

Do you have a photo you’d like us to consider for Historic Alabama? Send it to Erica West at ewest@pmtpublishing.com.

Challenge yourself with these puzzlers from past issues of Business Alabama magazine. Beginning Oct. 20, work the quiz online and check your answers at businessalabama.com.

October 2024 (one year ago):

Q: Regions has long topped the list of Alabama’s largest banks. What comes second?

A) Bank Independent

B) CB&S Bank

C) River Bank & Trust

D) ServisFirst Bank

October 2020 (five years ago):

Q: A national firm with significant presence in Huntsville and Montgomery won a $13.3 billion

U.S. Air Force contract to modernize the nation’s intercontinental ballistic missile system. What firm?

A) Austal USA

B) Blue Origin

C) Northrop Grumman

D) United Launch Alliance

October 2015 (10 years ago):

Q: The Brock School of Business moved into a new $25 million building on campus. The project was boosted with a $12.5 million gift from alum Gary Cooney. What university is the Brock School of Business part of?

A) Alabama A&M University

B) Auburn University

C) Samford University

D) University of Alabama

October 2000 (25 years ago):

Q: An Alabama billboard campaign sought to lure workers into construction trades, touting the opportunity to earn a great salary. What salary did the signs boast?

A) $12,500

B) $25,000

C) $40,000

D) $65,000