Today marks my first day as the new Chief Executive Officer for the Birmingham Business Alliance. It is an honor to step into this role for an organization whose mission I deeply believe in, and whose team I deeply admire.
Steve Ammons has been named CEO of the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA), the region’s primary economic development agency. Ammons will be responsible for leading collaboration between BBA and its community partners across the seven-county region to ensure the alignment and achievement of strategic objectives. He will begin his new role on May 30.
We are thrilled to announce that Tquila Automation, a leading automation software company, is expanding its map to the Greater Birmingham Region. This new location will create 200 new high-quality jobs with an average wage of $65,000 and expects to generate up to $21.51 million in overall economic impact over the next 20 years.
Four new nonstop flights will be offered from Birmingham beginning this April.
Via Airlines, a carrier based in Florida that flies 50-seat Embraer ERJ145s, will offer direct flight service from Birmingham to Mobile, Austin, Pittsburgh and Raleigh beginning in the spring. This announcement brings Birmingham-Shuttlesworth International Airport’s (BHM) number of nonstop destinations to 22 airports in 19 cities.
Birmingham-based Brasfield & Gorrie opened a new IT center recently, part of an ongoing plan to renovate and expand the general contractor’s headquarters.
Birmingham’s emphasis on building out apprenticeships for its workforce is gaining steam and garnering national attention.
The Wall Street Journal recently highlighted a trip made by Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin to Bremen, Germany, who visited software company abat AG to tour its training facility.
Birmingham-based BioHorizons, a medical device company that creates dental implant products, is growing.
The company, headquartered in Hoover, recently announced a $2 million expansion that will create 60 jobs in manufacturing, quality, distribution, and research and product development. The company employs 190 in Birmingham and 560 worldwide. The average salary of the 60 jobs announced in the expansion is $50,000. The Hoover City Council approved nearly $60,000 in tax incentives for the expansion.
Incysus Therapeutics Inc., a biopharmaceutical company with its scientific operations based in Birmingham, announced it has raised $10 million in Series A financing.
The company is focused on developing scientific advancements for the treatment of cancers, specifically leukemia, lymphoma and glioblastoma. Proceeds from the financing will be used to support advancement of Incysus’ drug-resistant immunotherapy technology in both pre-clinical and clinical programs.
2018 was a solid year for innovation and technology in the Birmingham region, and the national media took notice. Forbes took a look “inside Birmingham’s bid to become the Southern Silicon Valley” and Barron’s told readers to “add Birmingham to tech’s growing list of hubs.” Ozy.com said Birmingham is becoming a “mecca for startups” and livability.com agreed, calling the city one of its “up-and-coming tech hotspots.”
Birmingham amassed 42 accolades in 2018 – tied with 2016 for the largest number of accolades the region has attained in one year since the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA) began tracking accolades in 2011.
Birmingham appeared in Forbes, Barron’s, U.S. News and World Report, Inc., CNN, the Travel Channel and others. Take a look at some of the highlights.
Birmingham rounded out a strong year of accolades with another recognition recently. Small business and startup magazine Inc. named the Magic City one of the 50 best places in the United States to start a business.
At Altec, building a talent pipeline is a long game.
To help pique interest in the company, it starts recruiting potential future employees young. Really young.
“[Our mission is to] invest in K-12 students, keep them engaged and give them ideas of career opportunities earlier so that, ultimately, one day they’ll come to work for Altec as a developer or an engineer,” said Stacia Gaines, who is a Talent Acquisition Manager at the company.
Birmingham-based America’s First Federal Credit Union has opened the four-story expansion to its headquarters in downtown Birmingham. The expansion is attached to the company’s headquarters building.
In addition to its expansion, the company has added nearly 40 jobs of the 60 it announced in last year’s Birmingham Business Alliance New and Expanding Industry List.
Officials broke ground on the $175 million open-air stadium project at the Birmingham-Jefferson Convention Complex last week.
The stadium will be home to University of Alabama at Birmingham (UAB) football in the fall and the Birmingham Iron football in the spring, and is slated to be completed in 2021, in time for the World Games, which Birmingham is hosting. It is expected to seat between 45,000 and 55,000.
The Birmingham Business Alliance’s Governmental Affairs Committee recently welcomed Clark Jackson, senior manager for the Southeast region at the U.S. Chamber of Commerce. Jackson spoke to the GAC about everything from her top three legislative priorities to what she and the U.S. Chamber think about earmarks and tariffs. Take a look at what she had to say.
