Business Happenings - July 2021
Now Open
Coworking/podcast space CREED 63, 1601 Fifth Ave. N., is now open. Founder Danielle Hines, who is an attorney, veteran and minority, encourages small business owners and entrepreneurs from around the city to visit for a tour of the new center. 301-728-6833
UAB recently hosted a ribbon-cutting for the McMahon Residence Hall at 1600 10th Ave. S., the first Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design-certified building on the campus. The $73 million residence hall, which measures about 230,000 square feet, is located near the Campus Green and will be open to students this fall. 205-934-4011
Steel Gastropub, 2808 Seventh Ave. S., which offers Southern-style pub food, cocktails and craft beer, opened June 4, according to a post at the eatery’s Facebook page. 205-202-6649, Facebook @steelgastropub
Kelly McMahan recently opened his third CPR Cell Phone Repair franchise store at 1027 11th Place S. It’s in an 800-square-foot space formerly occupied by Computers and More. CPR Cell Phone Repair offers same-day repairs on all cellular devices, computers, tablets, gaming consoles and drones. The company also sells phones, cases, chargers and audio products such as headphones. At this location, CPR Cell Phone Repair is partnering with ZAGG to offer screen protectors and Apple to offer original Apple parts. McMahan’s other locations are in Hoover and Bessemer, and he plans a fourth this year in Alabaster. 205-729-5900
Coming Soon
The Fennec, a new live music venue, bar, restaurant and event space is set to open in Parkside in August, according to a news release from the owners, including businessman Craft O’Neal. The venue — to be located on 17th Street South between Second Avenue and Third Avenue — will house a cocktail bar called The Foxhole Lounge, and an upstairs event space named The Social. The owners recently announced the name of the facility and announced that Jameson Cesar will serve as Director of Operations. Cesar most recently led operations for Hard Rock Café in Atlantic City, New Jersey. The Fennec is currently hiring staff.
LifeLyles Gifts & Interiors, 2212 Morris Ave., Suite 104, will open soon at the new Mercantile on Morris complex. It will offer unique interior accessories, artwork and gifts for the home or office. 205-381-6828
Renovations and Relocations
Iron City Nutrition, 4120 Third Ave. S., recently renovated its patio area for customers. 205-777-4965
Marketing agency Luckie is moving its Birmingham office to the Denham Building, 1143 First Ave. S. Its office has been off U.S. 280 across from The Brookwood Village. 833-4-LUCKIE
New Construction
Orchestra Partners was set to begin construction in June on a $40 million redevelopment of The Frank, a 10-story historic building at 205 20th St. N. Formerly considered for office use, The Frank will become a 180-unit apartment community with a mix of studio and one-bedroom apartments. UPS and Trattoria Zaza will remain open during construction. Design-build firm Creature will be the architect, and contractor and Retail Specialists will be the retail leasing broker. 205-590-5015
News and Accomplishments
Chris Kramer, the senior vice president and chief information officer at Birmingham construction firm Brasfield & Gorrie, 3021 Seventh Ave. S., was recently honored as the winner of the 2021 Outstanding Alumni Award from the Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering at Auburn University. Kramer graduated from Auburn in 1994 and joined Brasfield & Gorrie in 1998. 205-328-4000
Christopher Architecture & Interiors, 2601 Highland Ave., was scheduled to have a grand opening June 17 for its new retail shop, Christopher Collection, at 2913 Linden Ave. in Homewood. The shop will carry home decor and furnishings. 205-413-8531
Studio 2H Design LLC, 1721 Fourth Ave. N., Suite 101, served as the architect for the ongoing interior renovations of Floors 5, 6 and 7 at the McCallum Basic Science Building at UAB, according to a news release from the firm. Lord Aeck Sargent is the lab consultant, the release states. 205-264-9988
Following a year of technology projects designed to combat COVID-19 and improve student success amid the pandemic, UAB Vice President and Chief Information Officer Curtis A. Carver Jr. received the 2021 Leadership Award from AlabamaCIO on June 4. The award was presented during the organization’s annual Alabama CIO of the Year ORBIE Awards ceremony, which honors top Alabama technology leaders. 205-934-4011
Construction industry publication ENR Southeast recently announced that Brasfield & Gorrie, 3021 Seventh Ave. S., is the magazine’s 2021 Contractor of the Year, according to a company news release. The publication recognized the company for its regional revenue growth in 2020, as well as several milestones and major projects. Founded in 1964, Brasfield & Gorrie is one of the nation’s largest privately held construction firms. 205-328-4000
Alabama Launchpad, a program of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, recently announced the winners of its Launchpad Cycle 1 2021 awards. The Birmingham company Vendrix, 1500 First Ave. N. at Innovation Depot, won the seed-stage prize of $50,000. Vendrix offers cards and software, customized for the construction industry, to help companies manage spending among employees and keep track of budgets in real-time. 205-490-8884
Mixtroz, 120 19th St. N., Suite 243, a company that fosters connection and community through live, virtual and hybrid events, recently announced the close of its $1 million seed round with investors. The round was led by Black Star Fund with participation from the Arlan Was Here Fund at Backstage Capital and the Rise of the Rest Seed Fund at Revolution, according to a Mixtroz news release. Mixtroz was founded by Kerry Schrader and Ashlee Ammons in 2015. 888-649-8769
Tanesha Sims-Summers, the CEO and founder of Naughty But Nice Kettle Corn Co., 5831 First Ave. N., Suite 200, recently graduated from the prestigious Goldman Sachs 10,000 Small Businesses program, according to a news release from the company. She began the program in February and recently received her certification of completion. The program helps entrepreneurs gain access to education, capital and business support services. 205-915-2528
Bayer Properties recently announced it will install a new shopping platform for The Summit, 214 Summit Blvd., Suite 150, from technology firm Adeptmind. The platform allows customers to browse available inventory at a retail center prior to visiting and to make their purchases either in-store or via curbside pickup if available. 205-967-0111
Personnel Moves
YMCA of Greater Birmingham, 2101 Fourth Ave. N., welcomes Jude Dooley as its new chief operating officer. Dooley is a 20-year veteran of the Y and comes from the YMCA of Metro Atlanta, where he served as group vice president. 205-801-9622
The Alabama Symphony Orchestra, 3621 Sixth Ave. S., recently announced that Mark Patrick, formerly the organization’s interim executive director, would be named executive director. Patrick began his tenure with the ASO in 2004 as stage manager and has since held various roles, according to a news release from the organization. 205-251-6929
Live HealthSmart Alabama, a program of the UAB Minority Health & Health Disparities Research Center, 1717 11th Ave. S., has added Teresa Shufflebarger to its team as chief administrative officer, according to UAB News. For three decades, Birmingham native Shufflebarger has held operations and strategic planning roles in the health care industry.
HOPE, based in Jackson, Mississippi, recently announced that two Birmingham men have been named to boards of directors with the organization. Herschell Hamilton, chairman of BLOC Real Estate Ventures, will join the board of Hope Enterprise Corporation. Bernard Mays, the assistant vice president and controller for financial affairs at UAB, will join the board of Hope Credit Union. HOPE seeks to provide financial services and engage in advocacy so that people can prosper despite such factors as race, gender and birthplace. 866-321-4673
Anniversaries
Hand in Paw, 617 38th St. S., recently celebrated 25 years of providing animal-assisted therapy to north-central Alabama and Tuscaloosa. Founded in 1996 by Beth Franklin, Hand in Paw currently has more than 70 program partners and 100 therapy teams. 205-322-5144
Sozo Children, 4 41st St. S., a Birmingham ministry serving vulnerable children in Uganda, recently celebrated 11 years of service by participating in Sozo’s Run for a Reason 5K. A team of Sozo Children staff walked through Avondale Park to commemorate the ministry’s birthday. Sozo currently provides housing, medical care and an education for about 125 children. 205-208-0016