Two communities in the Birmingham region are in Phase I of the Alabama Communities of Excellence (ACE) program, which seeks to ensure economic development success among the state’s smaller communities.

Hagerstown, Ind.-based Autocar will invest $120 million to expand and open a manufacturing plant in Jefferson County to build its heavy-duty cab-over-engine trucks. The company is being established in an existing one million-square-foot complex located in both Center Point and Birmingham and is expected to create 746 jobs.

As 2017 Innovation Week Birmingham comes to a close, Innovation Week partner the Birmingham Business Alliance’s CEO Brian Hilson, reflected on what the week meant to the Magic City and how celebrating it supports a sustainable innovation ecosystem.

Innovation Week Birmingham, presented by PNC Bank, wraps up today, with nearly 30 events around the city that celebrated innovation in Birmingham and the inventors, investors, entrepreneurs, supporters and catalysts that drive it. Innovation Week Birmingham is designed to be an open platform to showcase the numerous organizations and initiatives that support the Birmingham innovation ecosystem and the talented workforce that drives it. Partners for Innovation Week include the Birmingham Business Alliance, Birmingham Venture Club, City of Birmingham, Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, Innovation Depot, REV Birmingham, Southern Research, TechBirmingham and the University of Alabama at Birmingham.

This is the second consecutive year that PNC Bank has helped cultivate innovation and technology in the Magic City as presenting sponsor of Birmingham Innovation Week.  Brian Bucher, Alabama Regional President for PNC and a member of the BBA Executive Committee, talked with the BBA about how PNC is helping shape the innovation scene in Birmingham.

The Birmingham Venture Club is a proud partner of the 2017 Birmingham Innovation Week. Since its founding in 1985, the Birmingham Venture Club has promoted innovation through the support of the local venture capital community. Birmingham Venture Club board member Brian Cauble spoke with the BBA about the organization’s efforts to support innovation.

In  addition to sponsoring Innovation Week, Protective Life Corp. has been an active supporter of Birmingham’s tech community. Matthew Kohler, senior vice president and chief technology officer at Protective Life, provided insight on why innovation is important to Birmingham’s ecosystem and how the company supports it.

Birmingham’s CrossPlex Village received a boost in the form of a $9 million investment using New Markets Tax Credits.

TruFund Financial Services Inc., a national nonprofit with a presence in Birmingham that supports and helps provide financial resources for impoverished communities, announced the investment through its subsidiary Empowerment Reinvestment Fund (ERF). The funds will go toward the construction of an adjacent hotel, retail center and a 15,000-square-foot restaurant at the Crossplex.

TechBirmingham is a proud partner of Innovation Week, and has helped make integral advances in the Magic City tech scene over the years. Jennifer Skjellum, president of TechBirmingham, spoke with the BBA about the significance of Innovation Week and TechBirmingham in the community.

The 2017 Innovation Week Birmingham begins next week! The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA) is a partner of Innovation Week Birmingham this year and strives to support innovation in the Magic City year-round. Read our Q&A with Greg Sheek, director of Launchpad Programs at EDPA, below.

The 2017 Innovation Week Birmingham is kicking off in just three weeks – August 18 through August 25 – and leading up to the week the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) is highlighting the partners and sponsors that will help make Innovation Week Birmingham a premiere event in our region.