Keeping you informed and inspired. VOLUME 2 • ISSUE 3
March 2019
REAL ESTATE
COVER STORY
Strong Local Economy Makes Shopping Centers of Attention
In a reflection of investors’ confidence in the Huntsville area economy, four shopping centers were recently purchased, according to Newmark Knight Frank, a commercial real estate advisory firm. By Bud McLaughlin - Page 4
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Great! Huntsville is Growing… But Where Will We Get The Skilled Labor to Sustain It?
It is a quintessential “Good News, Bad News” story: Huntsville and Madison are growing.
By Kimberly Ballard - Page 10
ADDITIONAL STORIES • Three Things You Must Know Before
Buying Real Estate Investments
By Zack Childres • Page 3
• Some “Comfortable Swank” with a
Taste of Italy Coming to Stovehouse By Lori J. Connors • Page 6
• Town Madison’s $12 Million Pro
Player Park Brings Even More Baseball to North Alabama
By Kimberly Ballard • Page 13 • Tower is Hospital’s Largest
Project in Nearly 40 Years
Mardi Gras Mask and St. Patrick’s Day hat photos credit: Shutterstock.com
By Bud McLaughlin • Page 14
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HUNTSVILLE
BUSINESS JOURNAL Vol 2, Issue 3 March 2019 600 Boulevard South Suite 104 Huntsville, AL 35802
2
Huntsville BUSINESS JOURNAL
FROM THE EDITOR’S DESK
A Brand New Time in South Huntsville or, Rather, a New Brand In the next couple of months, south Huntsville will enter a new era. In fact, a “brand’ new era. South Huntsville business owners, community members and government officials are coming together to create a vibrant and thriving district. Extending from, essentially, Martin Road south to the Tennessee River, South Huntsville Main Street will be a corridor reflecting a diverse lifestyle of work and play. Just imagine, driving south on the parkway through the Martin Road “tunnel.” On the “ceiling” and the sides are row upon row of colored lights. Talk about a grand entrance! And as you exit the “tunnel,” laid out in front of you are banners on the light poles welcoming visitors. There are local businesses along
the road, each touting their wares and inviting customers inside. The South Huntsville Business Association, with Executive Director Bekah Schmidt and President Jerry Cargile, has been the impetus to improving this part of the city. A major step was being accepted into Main Street Alabama, a nonprofit organization that uses a national model with a 40-year track record of revitalizing downtowns and neighborhoods. The process concentrates in four areas: organization, design, promotion and economic vitality. Each one is guided by Main Street’s transformation strategy to remain focused on a specific market-based outcome. With a solid and active SHBA, the organization stage is answered. The design aspect concerns itself with
aesthetics and function, such as the tunnel lights, improved landscaping and redesigned parking areas. Promotion will incorporate some of the design aspects as well as sharing information and marketing the district. Economic vitality is key in that there must be room and desire for businesses to grow and prosper. In June, the Main Street Alabama officials will revisit south Huntsville to launch a branding presentation, which includes a logo for the district and several variations of it; a marketing strategy; and other information to help south Huntsville soar to new heights. (Bud McLaughlin is editor of the Huntsville Business Journal. He can be heard at 6:30 a.m. Wednesdays on the Fred Holland Show on WTKI 105.3FM and 1450 AM.)
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Publisher/President ……… Todd Stephenson Editor ………………………… Bud McLaughlin Writers………………………… Kimberly Ballard Lori J. Connors Wendy Reeves Contributing Writer…………… Zack Childress Graphic Design ………………… Justina Simon Website……………………………… Jim Gharib Photographers…………………… Steve Babin Kimberly Ballard Marianne Higgins Jeff White Director of Sales ……… Carolyn Stephenson Distribution……………………… Glenda Mace Huntsville Business Journal is published monthly by EVENT Publishing, PO Box 14219, Huntsville, AL 35815. For advertising information call 256.533.8078, e-mail todd@eventhuntsville.com, or visit us on the web at www.huntsvillebusinessjournal.com. For editorial information contact editor@huntsvillebusinessjournal.com ALL CONTENTS ©2018. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. REPRODUCTION OR USE IN WHOLE OR IN PART OF THE CONTENTS WITHOUT THE PRIOR WRITTEN PERMISSION OF THE PUBLISHER IS PROHIBITED. HUNTSVILLE BUSINESS JOURNAL IS A REGISTERED TRADEMARK OF EVENT PUBLISHING. ALL RIGHTS RESERVED. UNSOLICITED PHOTOGRAPHS OR ARTICLES ARE SUBMITTED AT THE RISK OF THE PHOTOGRAPHER OR AUTHOR. EVENT PUBLISHING ASSUMES NO LIABILITY FOR THE RETURN OF ANY UNSOLICITED MATERIALS AND MAY USE THEM AT ITS DISCRETION.
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REAL ESTATE
Three Things You Must Know Before Buying Real Estate Investments. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to be in real estate right now because the market is hot.
Have you ever wanted to become a real estate investor? That’s a question I am sure lots of people are asking themselves right, especially when we look around and see that some of the wealthiest people have large portfolios of real estate investments, whether that is single-family residences or apartments or even commercial space. Real estate has always been an avenue for creating extra income as well as, really, building a financial future for your family through income-producing properties. I wouldn’t blame you if you wanted to be in real estate right now because the market is hot. And this makes a lot of people want to jump into real estate and it couldn’t be a better time to get into real estate. But you also may be saying to yourself that you don’t know a lot about real estate. And there are a few things you need to know before you even start going out and looking at properties, making offers or even evaluating real estate deals. Those few things boil down to what we refer to as the three things that you must do before buying real estate. Let’s talk about them. 1. Know your market. This is crucial to your success when it comes to doing the right deals in the
right area. You need to know where the markets are for rental properties; or which areas are going to be best for fix-and-flip type properties. You can do this through gathering data from a real estate agent. By knowing the market it helps you understand when you’re looking at deals how to figure the right strategy for that area. For example, you don’t want to try to fix and flip a property to sell that’s in a heavy rental market. 2. Build a power team. In real estate, you’re only as successful as your power team. Your power team will have professionals - real estate agents, contractors, handymen, property managers, mortgage brokers, bankers and closing attorneys. 3. A financial source. This is something that a lot of people don’t do right away, but you want to be prepared, so you want to go out and build relationships with local banks, community banks and credit unions. The local relationship is vital because they’re going to be easier to work with. They’re going to have better programs and they’re going to really want to help you build your real estate business in the local community. From here, you can start getting the specialized knowledge for what you want to do in real estate investing. But the ultimate key is if you
want to become a real estate investor, identify these three things and then move into specialized knowledge. Now, you may ask, “Where can I find some of this specialized knowledge?” Right? Well, you can find it in investment books and videos on YouTube.
By Zack Childress
You can also get this information from a mentor to help you grow or, if you want to be a part of a like-minded group, you can come out to a local real estate investors association meeting. Locally, the Madison County Real Estate Investors Association has been helping area investors for more than 15 years. The group holds monthly meetings on different topics and it might be something that you’re interested in. For a schedule visit www.joinournextmeeting.com. I encourage you to look into that and I’m looking forward to seeing you out at one of those meetings. (Zack Childress is president of he Madison County Real Estate Investors Association).
Advertorial
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Huntsville BUSINESS JOURNAL
REAL ESTATE
Strong Local Economy Makes Shopping Centers of Attention In a reflection of investors’ confidence in the Huntsville area economy, four shopping centers were recently purchased, according to Newmark Knight Frank, a commercial real estate advisory firm. The four deals – Highway 53 Centre in Huntsville, Hazel Green Shoppes, Hazel Green Centre and Hartselle 31 Centre – are valued at more than $13 million and encompass 84,616 square feet of premium retail space.
NKF Senior Managing Directors Drew Fleming and Mark Joines, and Associate Henry Kushner represented Athens-based Ming Enterprises in all
four transactions. Ming Enterprises, a commercial real estate development and brokerage company, is operated by father and son team, Bill and William Ming. In the last year alone, several economic development projects were unveiled across the region that represent more than 6,000 new jobs and $4.1 billion in growth. Major employers expanding or relocating in metro Huntsville include Mazda-Toyota Manufacturing, Facebook, Google, GE Aviation and Aerojet Rocketdyne. “The successful disposition of these four properties exemplifies the investor appetite for e-commerce resistant, un-anchored strip shopping centers located within markets that exhibit strong demographics and job growth,” said Fleming. “Strip centers have become
By Bud McLaughlin
a top choice for private capital seeking both yield and stability, and we anticipate healthy growth across this entire retail portfolio as North Alabama’s economy continues to expand and flourish.” Ming Enterprises sold the 43,000-square-foot Highway 53 Centre at the intersection of Alabama 53 and Research Park Boulevard to a private buyer. The center is 100 percent leased to tenants Edward Jones, ALFA Insurance, ABC Liquor and other service-oriented uses. The area boasts a combined traffic count totaling more than 40,000 cars per day, and is a major thoroughfare for commuters who work at Redstone Arsenal and Research Park. In Hazel Green, Ming Enterprises sold the 30,500 square-foot Hazel
Green Shoppes and the 6,212-squarefoot Hazel Green Centre. Hazel Green Shoppes on U.S. 231 was completed in 2017 and is 100 percent leased to anchor tenants Dollar Tree, Hibbett Sports and Verizon Wireless. Hazel Green Centre, across the highway from Hazel Green Shoppes and in the same parcel as the Walmart Supercenter, was completed in 2015 and is 100 percent leased to tenants Arby’s, AT&T, Great Clips and Papa Murphy’s pizza. In Hartselle, Ming Enterprises sold the 4,904-square-foot Hartselle 31 Centre, which was built in 2017. It is 100 percent leased to Arby’s, Great Clips and Papa Murphy’s pizza.
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Huntsville BUSINESS JOURNAL
DINING
Some ‘Comfortable Swank’ with a Taste of Italy Coming to Stovehouse Matt Mell and Stephanie KennedyMell have a lot to celebrate. Fast on the heels of their two widely successful ventures, Church Street Wine Shoppe and Purveyor, come two more offerings: One to whet your whistle and another to tantalize your taste buds.
Pourhouse and Mazzara’s Italian Kitchen both promise to do that and more. Around mid-March, both will be making their debuts at Stovehouse, the work-play-eat complex on Governors Drive in Huntsville’s Westside. Although they are two different venues, they both share the same commitment to excellence. “The name ‘Pourhouse’ is a play on words,” said Kennedy-Mell. “It’s a
tie to the name Stovehouse. We pour anything: Wine, beer, spirits, and craft cocktails. The vibe is ‘comfortably swanky.’ “If our establishments were people, Pourhouse would be like Purveyor’s Bohemian little sister.” Pourhouse is “purely liquids, no food, but people can bring in food from the other restaurants at Stovehouse,” she said. “Pourhouse is 1,100 square feet with a rooftop bar. There will be three outside patios that surround the area with large fireplaces, along with heaters and fans. There will also be two big-screen TVs.” Mazzara’s Italian Kitchen will bring its own Italian cuisine to the Rocket City. “The recipes are phenomenal; I’m so excited to bring true, authentic, Italian-American cuisine to Huntsville,” Says Kennedy-Mell. Mazzara’s is “fastcasual, everything will be served in a to-go box. All pastas will be made from
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scratch and used to re-create family recipes, such as our eggplant Rollatini.” “Part of introducing the authentic Italian style is based on experimentation and available ingredients. Chef Rene Boyzo, executive chef at Purveyor will be curating my family’s recipes especially for Mazzara’s,” she said. “We are constantly evolving, our menus will change frequently, often based on whatever the ‘vibe’ is that week. Where Purveyor is American fare with a twist, Mazzara’s is traditional Italian.” What’s dinner without dessert? Guistino’s Gelato, an authentic gelateria within Mazzara’s, will offer made-fromscratch gelato. Guistino, aka Justin Rosoff, studied the fine art of gelato under Maestro Ferrari in Bologna, Italy.
“The U.S. doesn’t have many authentic gelaterias; there’s roughly about 900 nationwide,” Rosoff said. “Guistino’s will be a true taste of Italy. People trying gelato for the first time will experience a taste like nothing they’ve ever had before. The smell, the look, the way it feels in your mouth, there’s nothing quite like it.” Rosoff said because some ingredients come straight from Italy, the gelatos won’t always look like what people commonly expect; pistachio will have more of a yellow coloring, mint will be white. “We will have sorbets based on the seasons, along with gelato pops, handdipped in chocolate or caramel, dusted in chopped nuts,” he said. “Along with freshly made waffle cones, it will be a ‘grab and go’ concept.” “There will also be other handmade desserts where customers can watch pastries being made from scratch.”
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DINING
Coming to a Detention Room Near You: Offbeat Coffee Studio
By Lori J. Connors
1/3 LP records. Offbeat owners Kyle and Anna Husband think the time is right for Huntsville to have its very own LP and espresso mecca. “Coffee and vinyl records pair well together; both share a nostalgia, unlike anything else,” said Anna. “There’s intention and purpose in everything we do.” The couple are no strangers to the entrepreneurial mindset. For 15 years, Anna’s parents, Ginger and Danny Zolynsky owned Southern Wake Up, a two-kiosk espresso outfit on Redstone Arsenal. “My dad was always an entrepreneur,” said Kyle. “I knew that I wanted to be an entrepreneur.” In addition to his farm in southern middle TenMark your calendars. Coming in late March, nessee, Kyle also manages the affairs and finances Campus 805 will be waking up to a new tenant. for his grandmother, well-known regional artist After several months of having its “pop-up” cof- Betty Grisham. fee shop inside the Straight to Ale taproom, Offbeat Shortly after finishing college, the pair met in Coffee Studio will be officially open for business. Huntsville. After they started dating, they talked What sets Offbeat apart, in addition to its about starting a business of their own. 2019 Huntsville Business Journal_Colon CancerAs Awareness(2).pdf 1 2/21/19 AM handcrafted coffee beverages, is VINYL. in 33 “There’s a 9:46 sense of nostalgia in everything we
do,” said Anna. The craft coffee beverages will be made the oldfashioned way. “We’ve planned it that way,” said Kyle. “We have a Slayer espresso machine that’s manually operated.” The couple said a welcoming, “down-to-earth” vibe is key to their business strategy. “We never want a customer to come in and feel intimidated,” said Anna. “The big thing is that we are trying to give people the very best coffee that we can provide, without the attitude,” said Kyle. Located in what used to be the “Detention Room,” Offbeat Coffee Studio’s soft opening will take place two weeks prior the grand opening. Their sign will be up by then, to light your way in from the parking lot. With bold white lettering on black background and illuminated by bright red lighting, it will be hard to miss.
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Huntsville BUSINESS JOURNAL
COVER
C’est Mardi Gras! Laissez le Bontemps Rouler By Lori J. Connors / Photos by Steve Babin
Special thanks to SiP for allowing photography of delicious drinks
Any celebration that includes parades, costumes, beads, masks, King Cakes, and adult beverages can’t be all bad. And, like just about every other holiday or celebration in the United States, it’s big business. Mardi Gras, aka Fat Tuesday, has gone well beyond its Gulf Coast start and is spreading its beadladen roots throughout the United States. The annual celebration seems to have grown exponentially over the past decade. Universal Studios Orlando touts its 2019 Mardi Gras as “Florida’s biggest party,” complete with specialty neon cocktails. Tracing its origins from 17th and 18th century Europe and France, this traditional revelry of “Boeuf Gras,” or fatted calf, got its start in the United States at the tiny settlement of Fort Louis de la Mobile, aka Mobile, Alabama, in 1703. But, by 1718, soon after New Orleans was founded, Mardi Gras, as we know it, took off. The combination of southern coastal regions, cities situated along the Mississippi River, and the French ancestry of many of those working near these areas helped to expand Mardi Gras. Mardi Gras is the last night of Carnival season, which begins with the 12th night after Christmas. It’s also the night before Lent. Depending on where it falls on the calendar, Mardi Gras can occur anywhere from early February to as late as Mid-March. Celebrated mainly in areas with large Catholic populations, Carnival is the big “blowout” leading up to Lent. Huntsville’s local community and city visitors
participate in the celebration Mardi Gras, which provides a little boost to the city’s economy. King Cakes Available only during Carnival, King Cake is typically made with braided brioche dough, laced with cinnamon. The dough is then glazed with icing and topped with purple, green, and gold sugar. From plain to fruit and cream cheese filling, King Cakes of all varieties are available for purchase at the local grocery stores, specialty bakeries, or ordered online from regional bakeries. What sets a King Cake apart from other kinds of cakes is the small plastic baby inside. Tradition has it that whoever finds the baby in their slice is obliged to buy the next King Cake. Beads During the late 1800s, glass beads were tossed into the crowds by the parade Krewes, thus becoming an instant hit among the New Orleans revelers. Beads still are the most popular parade “throw” passed out in parades, only now, those beloved tossed beads are usually made of plastic. Everyone Loves A Parade Aside from the random smatterings of celebrations at many of the local bars, Huntsville’s present version of Mardi Gras didn’t fully get on the radar until 2014, the year of its first parade. The inaugural Mardi Gras parade and festivities drew about 500 costumed participants, with thousands more watching from the sidewalks. The parade, which starts and ends at AM Booth’s Lumberyard on Meridian Street, is the creative brainchild of Marydae Sneed, director of Blount Hospitality House. Blount provides low-cost lodging to
out-of-town families whose loved ones are receiving medical care in Huntsville. Now in its sixth year, the Mardi Gras Huntsville parade continues to grow in popularity, “We try to keep this a small parade,” says Sneed. “Currently, there are 25 groups – we call each group a krewe- participating. “The city is so supportive. Without the city, we couldn’t do it.” Saturday’s Big Deal with the Big Easy Feel Many local businesses and live music venues are hosting their big Mardi Gras events on March 2, as a tie-in to the parade. As the host for the Blount Hospitality House annual fundraiser, the Lumberyard will feature local favorites Microwave Dave and the Nukes. As one of the hardest working bands in Huntsville, the Nukes will rock your socks off from 8 p.m. to midnight. Humphrey’s gets its groove-on early and goes all day. Starting with a 10 a.m. brunch, music will be playing until 1 a.m. Bar Manager Jackie Wake said it’s one of the business’s busiest days of the year. Boasting a New Orleans-themed food and drink menu, there will also be giveaways all night long. Kick back after the parade and grab a signature hurricane in the Speakeasy at Straight to Ale. “It’s our biggest night, I’m excited!” said event coordinator Lauren Gowins. “We anticipate a big turnout and there will be themed décor, and a whole bunch of beads!” As one of Huntsville’s official after-party destinations, revelers will enjoy live music from The Bacchuneers while Chef Dave Stanley serves up Cajun-inspired entrees, such as gumbo and muffulettas. As in New Orleans, Fat Tuesday in Huntsville will be quiet by comparison. Although local eateries, such as Cajun Steamer and PoBoy Factory, and a few others celebrate March 5, the biggest blowout of the season will be on parade day, carrying the celebration long into the night.
Pictured from left to right: Billy Kauffman, Marydae Sneed (Organizer of the Mardi Gras Parade), Anya Douglas (Organizer of the St. Patrick’s Day Parade), Christen Dickey
March 2019
9
STORY By Kimberly Ballard
Wherever You Go and Whatever You Do, May the Luck of the Irish Be There With You! ter, the parade moved to downtown where it was renamed in her honor. “The Huntsville community really lost a landmark when Finnegan’s closed in 2013,” said Anya Douglas, president of the Irish Society of North Alabama and the parade director. “A lot of people met their spouses there, accepted marriage proposals, and conceived children after a night of fun at Finnegan’s. “The original patrons recall many special occasions and events occurring at the original Finnegan’s Pub.” May the road rise up to meet you; may the wind be always at your back - Irish Blessing “That first year, there were 18 people in the parade and almost no audience,” said Sonnie Hereford, one of the first and only remaining parade coordinators from 1978. “There are only 17 people in the picture taken for the newspaper that day because one of the participants had skipped work and he was afraid if he showed up in a picture in the paper, he would get fired!
Special thanks to Keegan’s Irish Pub for allowing photography of delicious drinks
If all you know about St. Patrick’s Day is shamrocks, leprechauns, and Lucky Charms breakfast cereal, you might be surprised to learn there is an economic message wrapped up in all that ádh mór coming your way March 17. This year, the 42nd annual Ellen McAnelly Memorial St. Patrick’s Day Parade will draw 1,500 participants and more than 40,000 onlookers along the downtown Huntsville route, bringing a lot of “green” to merchants in its path! May your pockets be heavy, and your heart be light, may good luck pursue you each morning and night - Irish Proverb Luck is an integral part of life and prosperity in the Irish tradition but the phrase “Luck of the Irish” is an American expression and not an Irish one. According to Edward T. O’Donnell, an author and professor of history at Holy Cross College, the phrase took hold during the California Gold Rush in the second half of the 19th century when many of the most successful and famous gold and silver miners were of Irish and American Irish descent. There is little doubt that at least a little bit of luck has been involved in growing St. Patrick’s Day celebrations and Huntsville’s St. Patrick’s Day Parade into one of the city’s most popular holiday celebrations over the years. Ellen McAnelly moved to Huntsville in 1977 from Galway, Ireland. Wanting to introduce authentic Irish tradition, culture, food, and hospitality to North Alabama, she opened Huntsville’s first Irish restaurant - Finnegan’s Pub - at 3310 South Memorial Parkway and the following year, she started what was known for many years as the Huntsville St. Patrick’s Day Parade. The short route followed a southerly path along the west side frontage road of Memorial Parkway, ending at Finnegan’s. McAnelly died in 2009 and, shortly thereaf-
Photo provided by Sonnie Hereford
“The funny thing about the history of the parade is that it grew in popularity and size almost exclusively because it had been mocked as the smallest St. Patrick’s Day Parade ever.” The parade took another big hit just days before the 1997 event when then-Huntsville Mayor Loretta Spencer denied the group a permit because of a series of fender benders in 1996 allegedly caused by drivers on the Parkway gazing down on the parade marching along the frontage road. At the last minute, they received an invitation to move the parade to downtown Madison where it had
its largest participation and audience yet. For that one year, it was called the Madison County St. Patrick’s Day Parade. Everybody’s Irish on St. Patrick’s Day – Anonymous Irish Saying “The parade is community inclusive even if you are not Irish,” said Douglas. “It is free to participate and free to attend but it brings a tremendous amount of business to the downtown area including shopping, dining, and entertainment.” The most anticipated parade event is the Blessing of the Flags at St. Mary of the Visitation Catholic Church on Jefferson Street. “When Father Bill (William M. Kelly, S.D.S.) performs the blessing ceremony over the Irish and American flags, it really has special meaning for the American Irish community and leaves everyone, Irish or not, with a ‘Wow’ feeling,” said Douglas. Another popular attraction at the parade is the Father Trecy Division of the Ancient Order of Hibernians’ float.
Photo credit: Shutterstock.com
Father Jeremiah F. Trecy moved to Huntsville in 1860 because of health problems and established a parish here. The church was built of native stone from Monte Sano Mountain, but construction was halted during the Civil War while the Hibernians prepared hospital facilities and tended to the wounded on both sides of the conflict. ‘Tis better to spend money like there’s no tomorrow than to spend tonight like there’s no money! - Anonymous Since it isn’t St. Patrick’s Day without some libation and food, many pubs and shops along the parade route will be offering St. Patrick’s Day specials. The parade’s main sponsor Straight to Ale, Keegan’s Public House (who bought Finnegan’s and moved it downtown), and the Jefferson Street Pub are all opening at 6 a.m. serving an authentic Kegs & Eggs Irish Breakfast prior to the parade, which starts at 11:30. Green Bluff’s Brewery, Pints & Pixels, and The Marini Bar & Bistro will offer all-day live Irish music and $1 green beer along the parade route. While you’re there, be sure and lift a glass in a famous Irish toast: Here’s to a long life and a merry one. A quick death and an easy one. A pretty girl and an honest one. A cold pint and another one!
10
Huntsville BUSINESS JOURNAL
BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
Great! Huntsville is Growing…But Where Will We Get the Skilled Labor Workforce to Sustain It? It is a quintessential “Good News, Bad News” story: Huntsville and Madison are growing. However, with growth comes growing pains and every industry must find way to deal with the challenges. For the building industry, a significant shortage of skilled labor is a persistent problem, especially in the area of skilled craft workers like masonry. “It is a good problem to have but we have a shortage of contractors, electricians, and other constructionrelated labor in our area because of all the development,” said Mary Beth Broeren, AICP director of Development Services for the City of Madison. “The bad news is that prices have gone up because there is so much work available but getting bids and tapping into the jobs and labor pool is getting harder as there are just not enough laborers out there to do the work.” Brasfield & Gorrie According to Trey Clegg, regional president for Brasfield & Gorrie, he is seeing companies across the board invest in new programs and strategies to expand the workforce. “We are working to address the labor shortage and recruit and train the next generation of workers in the construction industry through a variety of efforts, with an emphasis on apprenticeship programs,” said Clegg. Some of those programs include industrial carpentry training and basic field engineering, among others. “One of our key strengths is that we traditionally strive to find work opportunities that allow us to enter the early stages of the construction planning process as a partner,” said Clegg. “This gives us the opportunity to build each project’s unique workforce plan in a strategic and methodical way, ensuring that the workforce is available when it comes time to build.” Fast training programs for young workers is also helpful. “We recently implemented a
mentoring/coaching program for our new hires that includes assigning coaches and providing high-visibility blue vests to help more seasoned employees and leaders identify new employees and give them the coaching they need,” said Clegg. “Our ability to effectively acclimate new hires to our safety culture continues to be paramount to our success.” Hoar Construction According to Will Watson, vice president of the Alabama Division at Hoar Construction, his company is taking a multi-faceted approach to handling the workforce shortage issue, focusing in four key areas: people, processes, technology, and partners. “Through technology, we are always researching and testing new tools to help us operate more efficiently and to find ways to fill the skills gap,” Watson said. “In a tight labor market, eliminating wasted labor on a project becomes all the more important for an on-time delivery of the project. “One of our most recent examples is the semi-autonomous mason (SAM), a robot that laid 70 percent of the brick on a job in Roanoke, Va.
ing on a job in a very busy area, like Nashville, Atlanta, or Charlotte, and to find enough people to work on the job we will reach out to some of our trusted partners in other states or areas of the country to help make a schedule work”. Hoar Construction also uses lean construction processes, called SmartBuild, to make jobs more efficient. “Prefabrication of building components is utilized on our projects to shift some of the work load to manufacturing facilities, minimizing the amount of labor needed on the job site to get the project done,” said Watson. “Learning and development is a focus for Hoar this year. We hired a learning and development manager in the fall, and we are in the process of rolling out our new and improved Hoar University. That program offers training for every employee in our company.” Finally, Watson said, cultivating talent through learning and development programs is the best fast-track training program they have because it gets college students up to speed on what is happening in the field and in their offices with on-the-job training. “Training the next generations of skilled workers is always a focus for us, and it makes Hoar a great place to work. Our students rotate through preconstruction, fieldwork, and project managePhoto credit: Shutterstock.com ment,” he said. “Once they graduate, they Roanoke is in (the middle) of the are often offered a job. Currently, we state, and there is limited manpower have 63 former co-ops and interns there. The robot laid 250,000 bricks working with us.” with a crew of five or six masons”. Breland Properties The second way is by reaching for Joey Ceci, president of Breland workers outside the state. Properties, said it is a problem to be “We are always working on de- addressed by the community overall. veloping relationships with trusted “Like Redstone Arsenal, we draw partners in the areas where we work,” our workforce from a 13-county rehe said. “Oftentimes we are work- gion in North Alabama and southern
By Kimberly Ballard
Tennessee, so what we find is that qualified people who work for us in the construction trades come from as far away as Rogersville or Cullman and they are perfectly willing to go where the work is,” Ceci said. “We also work with schools to teach construction-related skills. The building trades are a way for someone who might not be destined to go to college, to graduate with a skill where on day-one, they have a job that pays very well and is in very high demand.” He said Calhoun Community College has a lot of skilled worker programs, but he still thinks Breland would benefit from getting into the high schools, too. “Building is cyclical and every time you get to almost full employment, you have to start looking at hiring and training for more entry level jobs,” said Ceci. “Coming up with ways to do that is something we’ve talked about a lot here at Breland.” He said one of the things they have floated is a partnership with schools to have the students build a house. “Companies would donate the material, but at the end of the process, you sell the house and put that money back into doing it again for the next class of students,” Ceci said. “You need partners in the school system and partners from other organizations to do that, but we are happy to spearhead that to make it happen.” Stepping Up to Meet the Need is what Huntsville and Madison Do! “The labor shortage really affects small businesses who need tenant improvements or for property owners looking to build, remodel, or renovate,” said Madison’s Mary Beth Broeren. “The shortage slows those projects down, but when we look at those monster-sized Mazda Toyota facilities just getting started, we have confidence that our builders and developers with will step up to meet the needs and be successful.”
March 2019
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BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT
How Good Was 2018? Do the Words ‘Off the Charts’ and ‘Epic’ Mean Anything? By Kimberly Ballard
Photo credit: Jeff White
Someone said that, looking back, 2018 was a year for the record books for Huntsville and Madison County …. “off the charts” and “epic”. That someone was Chip Cherry, president and CEO of the Huntsville/ Madison County Chamber of Commerce. His remarks came last month at the 83rd Annual Chamber Membership Meeting. According to real numbers, his proclamation was not overstated. Huntsville finished 2018 ranked sixth in the nation for job growth according to 24/7 Wall Street. In all, five new companies broke ground, bringing more than 4,200 jobs to Madison County. They made capital investments of $2.3 billion while 13 current companies made capital investments of just under $350 million and nearly 1,000 jobs. The groundbreaking of the $1.6 billion Mazda Toyota Manufacturing USA plant at Greenbrier Road and Old Highway 20 was the biggest
economic story of 2018. The plant is expected to create 4,000 jobs by 2021 when it opens. Cummings Research Park, the second-largest research park in the nation, is at 91 percent occupancy, marking three groundbreakings and 10 ribbon-cuttings in 2018. To provide some perspective, the Economic Growth Index, which reflects combined employment, GDP, and wages, shows Huntsville with a 38 percent growth rate in 2018. Compare that to 23 percent nationally and 15 percent growth for the state of Alabama, and Huntsville more than doubles statewide economic growth! Keynote speaker Chris Voss, author and founder/CEO of the Black Swan Group and a former international kidnapping negotiator for the FBI, used humor and intrigue in speaking to the membership about the art of business negotiation. Before passing the gavel to 2019 Chamber Board Chair Kim Lewis, outgoing Chair Gary Bolton honored Alicia Ryan of LSINC with the Distinguished Service Award for her volunteer work serving as the vice chair of
the Board of Directors for the Alabama School for Cyber Technology and Engineering, a statewide magnet school created by the Legislature in 2018. She also serves as the chair of the Board of the Foundation supporting the school, which will be the first of its kind in the nation to address the growing demand for cyber and engineering professionals in the workforce. Huntsville received several significant media recognitions recently. According to The New York Times, Huntsville is one of 52 Places to Go in 2019; Huntsville ranks No. 7 in the Best Places to Live in the U.S. by U.S. News & World Report; and the city is No. 3 on the Wall Street
Journal‘s Where You Should Move to Make the Most Money list. Bolton, vice president of Global Marketing at Adtran, presented a $10,000 donation on behalf of his company to the Alabama School for Cyber Technology and Engineering.
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Huntsville BUSINESS JOURNAL
RETAIL
ULTA: All Things Beautiful at Merchant’s Square
By Lori J. Connors / Photos by Steve Babin
lip crayon that was bright enough to melt away anyone’s winter blues. For General Manager Eileen Dean, Prestige Benefits Sales Manager Shelby Moore, and Salon Manager Brenda Keel, the store’s opening is
career at the PX, it took Dean only a matter of months to find her true cosmetic calling. “I got bored,” she said. “Then, I saw an ad for the manager position at Bridge Street and applied.”
Pictured from left to right: Brenda Keel - Salon Manager, Eileen Dean - General Manager, Shelby Moore - Benefits product line manager
What’s big, bright, and filled with fragrance, color and cosmetics? Ulta Beauty, that’s what! The 10,800 square-foot Merchant’s Square anchor promises to be southeast Huntsville’s one-stop beauty product and service mecca. On the first morning of grand opening weekend, hundreds of women and a smattering of men braved a cold and windy Friday as they lined
up outside. The parking lot was filled beyond capacity. Parked cars clogged the curbsides. A few determined souls even parked across the street, braving the Bob Wallace Avenue traffic. Serving as the grand finale to the weeklong VIP “Sneak Preview,” the Ulta grand opening weekend was all about the giveaways: The first 100 people received gift cards and cosmetics, such as a full-sized Clinique
something they’ve been eagerly awaiting for several months. Referring to themselves as “the Dream Team,” Dean, Moore and Keel were excited, and with good reason. “We’ve been waiting for this day to happen. We’ve been holding on to staff since September,” said Dean. “It was like we had two jobs,” Moore said. “At the store then, in the evening, on the phone. We were calling back people, checking to see if they were still interested in working with us and assuring them we’d be opening soon.” The trio all got their start at the Bridge Street location. After retiring from a successful
As for the new Merchant’s Square store: “We love it, it’s beautiful! We have several new boutique counters, such as Clinique and MAC,” said Dean. A former instructor at the Salon Professional Academy and “working the chair” in local salons over the years, Keel has spent the past six months “recruiting my amazing salon team.” When asked what makes working at Ulta special to her, she said,“You can get everything done in one place. We can make you more beautiful than you already are!” Visit https://www.ulta.com/
March 2019
13
SPORTS / RECREATION
Town Madison’s $12 Million Pro Player Park Brings Even More Baseball to North Alabama By Kimberly Ballard
MADISON – Ever since Madison Mayor Paul Finley announced the building of a new concept at Town Madison called Pro Player Park, it provoked visions of a stylized Ernest Lawrence Thayer: Then from five thousand throats and more there rose a lusty yell; It rumbled through the valley, it rattled in the dell; It pounded on the mountain and recoiled upon the flat, For Finley, mighty Finley was advancing to the bat. Now we know Finley’s statement, which came in January’s State of the City Address, will bring a much happier result for North Alabama residents than those of Mudville! The $12 million Pro Player Park project is supported solely by private investment and consists of 12 synthetic baseball/softball fields – six championship size and the other six are configured so the fences can be pulled in to accommodate softball. The project also includes batting cages, a pro shop, a small café and vending area, and an indoor soccer field. Statistics show that Pro Player Park should generate about 300,000 visitors a year, which yields about 40,000 room nights per year. Currently more than halfway through the design phase, the Breland Properties project is situated in Town Madison on the old Intergraph campus. They will break ground in late spring or early summer with expectations for opening about the same time as the Trash Pandas’ stadium next spring. The first year will be a soft opening year before shooting for home runs in 2021. “Pro Player Park was not conceived alongside the
acquisition of the Rocket City Trash Pandas or their new stadium,” said Joey Ceci, president of Breland Properties. “However, once that project was underway, one of our associates here at Breland whose son is involved in tournament travel ball, complained that he was always having to drive somewhere else on weekends to watch his son play in these regional tournaments. “He noted that he was spending his money in all these different locations that did not have any of the attractions and accommodations available in Huntsville. We saw an opportunity to fill that void.” Ceci said Pro Player Park has undergone more than six months of rigorous due diligence, market feasibility studies, and they have had dozens of serious discussions among all the appropriate people including Mark McCarter, convention sales manager at the Huntsville/Madison Convention & Visitors Bureau, and Huntsville Sports Commission Executive Director Ralph Stone. They are both excited about it because it opens up baseball and softball tournament opportunities the city of Huntsville has never had the facilities to support. Furthermore, they consulted with one of their partners, Tim Dulin who has built similar facilities to Pro Player Park and has contacts with travel ball teams as a coach and a mentor. He is already working with McCarter to start pitching Huntsville for these types of tournaments, and to get on their schedules for when the park opens. “Both travel baseball and softball are increasing in popularity, but there has always been a hole
in this region for having the facilities to support them,” said Ceci. “The traveling tournament teams we are looking at are primarily regional or at least within driving distance, but some of the championship series could bring in people from Puerto Rico and Latin America where baseball is a very popular sport, as well as all over the U.S. at some point. “Because the fields are synthetic – that is, the dirt and the grass are synthetic - they are more or less plug-and-play and can even be configured to support lacrosse,” Ceci said. “These teams can’t really afford rainouts so, with synthetic fields, when the rain is over, you don’t have a soggy field or muddy infield to worry about because they drain quickly, and therefore play can resume relatively quickly.” Ceci said the closest facilities are in Southhaven, Miss.; Memphis and Atlanta. “Nashville gets some teams, but they don’t have a single facility where they play the entire week,” said Ceci. “They use a variety of high school fields, some which are not very high quality, and they are spread out all over Nashville. For instance, they may play a game in Gallatin one day, a game in Brentwood the next day, and a third game in downtown Nashville. The logistics are difficult.” He said these teams really come with the intent of playing high-caliber, competitive ball and they like to play in places where there are likely to be major league and college scouts on-hand to see their kids play. “There is nowhere where the logistics make sense for pro and college scouts who may want to watch a potential catcher play in Smyrna while another player they are interested in is playing across town at the same time in downtown Nashville,” he said. “The way Pro Player Park will be designed, we will be able to situate scout towers adjacent to four fields at a time, so they can watch players on all four fields from a single location.” There are hundreds of travel teams who begin the season in late February/early March and run through October. During school, they play these tournaments mostly on weekends but, when school lets out, they may play for three to five days. “It’s a great generator for us from a business point of view and as a developer, it’s another great project,” Ceci said. “For several days at a time, you will have visitors spending money shopping at Town Madison or Bridge Street; dining; renting hotel rooms; attending ballgames; and visiting our attractions like the U.S. Space & Rocket Center. That is quite the attractive package.”
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Huntsville BUSINESS JOURNAL
MEDICAL
Tower is Hospital’s Largest Project in Nearly 40 Years By Bud McLaughlin Huntsville Hospital has broken ground on the biggest medical construction project in the downtown area in almost four decades. The new Orthopedic & Spine Tower will feature 375,000 square feet of surgical, patient care and specialized physical rehabilitation space in the heart of the hospital campus. The tower will house the hospital’s orthopedic and spine surgery programs. Scheduled to open in 2021, the seven-story building is across Gallatin Street from the main entrance of Huntsville Hospital; a walking bridge will connect the buildings. “As our community and region continue to grow, our hospital is keeping pace with the need for advanced health care services and facilities,” said David Spillers, CEO of Huntsville Hospital Health System. Jeff Samz, the system’s COO, said the Orthopedic & Spine Tower will have 72 private patient rooms, as well as 24 state-of-the-art operating rooms. It will also have a restaurant on the ground floor. “With the new tower, we will also eliminate most of the semi-private accommodations in our main hospital,” Samz said. Designed by Chapman Sisson Architects, the Orthopedic & Spine Tower will fill a city block at the corner of Gallatin Street and St. Clair Avenue. It is the largest medical construction project in downtown Huntsville since the hospital opened its north tower in 1980. Robins & Morton is the general contractor.
March 2019
15
Business Briefcase HudsonAlpha Researchers Help ID Gene Mutation Causing Alzheimer’s Scientists at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology have helped identify a genetic change that is causing Alzheimer’s disease, expanding what we know about how the disease can be inherited and giving participants in the study an opportunity to join prevention trials. Researchers looked at 93 members of a family in Colombia with a history of inherited Alzheimer’s disease. They found that 26 of them had a neverbefore-identified mutation on PSEN1, a heavily studied gene, known to cause Alzheimer’s. By identifying this mutation, scientists hope to give affected individuals the chance to participate in trials early to maximize the chance of a therapeutic benefit. This latest study recently appeared in Alzheimer’s and Dementia. Dr. Ken Kosik of the University of California, Santa Barbara led the study with Dr. Francisco Lopera from the University of Antioquia. HudsonAlpha scientists from the Richard M. Myers Lab assisted with analysis of the data. “These large family studies give us an incredible opportunity to understand how Alzheimer’s works at a genetic level,” said Kosik. “Studying these early-onset cases gives us a chance to really dig deep into what specifically is changing in the body, brain and genome to cause the degeneration. It also allows us an opportunity to try to ward off the worst of the disease.” Dr. Nick Cochran of HudsonAlpha’s Myers Lab said, “This is another example of a large family study in Colombia producing promising results. These rare families continue to teach us about how this disease works, and as scientists, it is wonderful to have the opportunity to be able to help find answers for these families, and potentially even accelerate their involvement in clinical trials.”
Chamber Announces Contenders for 2019 Best Places to Work The Huntsville-Madison County Chamber has released the contenders for the 2019 Best Places to Work competition. The Chamber will honor “best of
the best” member businesses in the Tennessee Valley at its annual luncheon on April 30. Here are the categories and the contenders: MICRO: 10-24 Employees 5-D Systems; Alabama Colon & Gastro; Aleta Technologies; Amanda Howard/Sotheby’s International Realty; Applied Technologies Group; Bedzzz Express; Black Hall Aerospace; Cortina Solutions; Crossflow Technologies; Davis Strategic Innovations; Dental Professionals on Whitesburg; Eikon Research; EngeniusMicro; Flint River Dental; General Dynamics Ordnance and Tactical Systems; H2L Solutions; JHNA; Kids to Love Foundation; Mb Solutions; Mission Driven Research; Mission Multiplier; New Beginnings Family Law; Nobletech Solutions; On-Line Applications Research; Resolution; Summit Information Solutions; Total Solutions; Whitespace Innovations. SMALL: 25-50 Employees BancorpSouth – Huntsville; CALIBRE Systems; Cintel; Good Samaritan Hospice of Madison; Hill Technical Solutions; Invariant; Matt Curtis Real Estate; MTA; Nesin Therapy Services; Project XYZ; R2C-Support Services; Roto-Rooter; Troy 7; Yellowhammer Brewery. MEDIUM: 51-100 Employees Bevilacqua Research; Brockwell Technologies; Canvas; Cepeda Systems & Software Analysis; deciBel Research; GaN; Geocent; Line-X; LSINC; Monte Sano Research Corp.; National Children’s Advocacy Center; nou Systems; QTEC Aerospace; Thrive Alabama; TriVector Services; Willbrook Solutions. LARGE: 101-250 Employees Avion Solutions; CFD Research; Davidson Technologies; DESE Research; IERUS Technologies; Ignite; Intrepid; IronMountain Solutions; nLogic; NTA; PeopleTec; Simulation Technologies; Technology Service Corp.A X-LARGE: 251-plus Employees Clearview Cencer Institute; Integration Innovation Inc.; Intuitive Research and Technology; Modern Technology Solutions Inc.; Parsons; Radiance Technologies; Torch Technologies.
Torch Awarded $156.3M Engineering Support Contract Torch Technologies has been awarded a $156.3 million contract by the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Research, Development, and Engineering Center’s Engineering Directorate for full spectrum technical research, development and engineering support of DoD systems. The contract has a 3½-year period of performance including exercised options. The work will be performed primarily in Huntsville. Torch’s team will integrate Army needs across the complete range of life-cycle engineering responsibilities for programs and products. Engineering expertise delivered under the contract enables comprehensive and rapid research, design, development, production, acquisition, test, delivery, sustainment, modification, modernization, and reclamation support for aviation, missile, ground, sea, and soldier systems and all associated development, production and support equipment. “The life-cycle contract allows Torch to continue building upon our success delivering innovative solutions for Warfighter systems which rely upon the engineering directorate’s broad lifecycle engineering expertise,” Torch President/CEO John Watson said. “We are honored to support this effort in partnership with the AMRDEC Engineering Directorate.” Q-Track ‘officially’ Geeks and Nerds Geeks and Nerds has acquired the assets of Q-Track in a purchase between two Huntsville high-tech businesses. “We are excited about incorporating the technology and management team of Q-Track into Geeks and Nerds,” said GaN CEO/CTO Dr. Jonn Kim. “Our combined knowledge and experience position us well for advanced research and technology in the areas of electromagnetics, wireless communications, position and location, cyber electromagnetic activity, and radar. “Their success as a R&D company will complement GaN. I can’t wait to make magic happen.” Q-Track CEO Stephen Werner said the two companies will make a perfect
match. The company provides indoor location, safety, and RF solutions. “I’m delighted by the enthusiasm with which GaN has embraced the opportunities offered by Q-Track’s capabilities and technology,” he said. “GaN’s culture of ethics, innovation, and creativity mirrors our own.” Q-Track co-founder and CTO Dr. Hans Schantz will serve as principal scientist of GaN and will help in the transition process. “We’ve always been geeks and nerds at Q-Track,” Schantz said. “This just makes it official.”
Greg Thompson Named GeneCapture COO Greg Thompson has been named chief operating officer of GeneCapture, a resident associate company at the HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology. Thompson will oversee the product design, commercialization and medical device approvals for the company’s breakthrough portable rapid infection diagnostic targeted to the point-of-care market. “Greg’s experience with more than a hundred medical product designs for a variety of large and small companies is extremely relevant to our current goals,” said Peggy Sammon, CEO and co-founder of GeneCapture. “He brings a depth of knowledge in product commercialization that will help us accelerate our plan.” Thompson was the former vice president of design in the Sanmina Medical Division and vice president of Sanmina Global Product Design and Development. His organization developed products for customers such as Johnson & Johnson, Philips Medical, Siemens, and others totaling more than 50 medical device customers; and more than 100 medical devices. “My passion is working with a team to bring new ideas to reality and it’s great to now be a part of that collaborative culture on the HudsonAlpha campus,” said Thompson. “The impressive team at GeneCapture has shown that their revolutionary platform can solve a critical problem in health care today. I’m excited to have the opportunity to help bring this solution to the market.”
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Huntsville BUSINESS JOURNAL
The POWER of COLLABORATION Adaptive reuse sees potential beyond its original purpose. Stovehouse realizes the potential of an old, disused factory into a community space for restaurants, retail, office and entertainment in West Huntsville, Alabama.
CREATIVITY Innovative investors Danny and Patti Yancy pulled from over 30 years of project development experience and business know-how to develop Stovehouse from a concept into a plan.
EXPERTISE Joe Still Building Company applied their collaborative approach to project planning and management, and their network of relationships built with thousands of subcontractors and suppliers to make the plan a reality.
HORSEPOWER Bank Independent utilized over 70 years of experience, backed by the financial management of over $1.5 billion in assets and the expertise of our team led by Area President Tim Singleton, providing the financial strength to ensure the project ran smoothly.
Business banking at its best. Bank Independent. DANNY YANCY
PATTI YANCY
TIM SINGLETON
JOE STILL
BIBANK.COM | MEMBER FDIC | 877.865.5050
This size fits all.
The 2019 Volkswagen Atlas. Life’s as big as you make it.
Volkswagen of Huntsville (256) 881-1881 | HileyVWHuntsville.com
6 Years/72,000 Miles Transferable Bumper-to-Bumper Limited Warranty 6 years/72,000 miles (whichever occurs first) New Vehicle Limited Warranty on MY2018 and newer VW vehicles, excluding e-Golf. See owner’s literature or dealer for warranty exclusions and limitations.