Business Happenings - July 2022
Now Open
Umrani Residential, 1121 Tuscaloosa Ave., recently became a U-Haul neighborhood dealer, according to a news release from U-Haul Company of Alabama Inc. The company will offer services such as U-Haul trucks, trailers, towing equipment, boxes and other rental items. Malik Umrani is the owner of the business, according to uhaul.com. 205-453-1557
Coming Soon
Leasing is underway for the 180 residential units in the Frank Nelson Building, or “The Frank,” at 205 20th St. N., according to a recent report by al.com. Residential manager Common is handling the leasing, the report stated. Birmingham developer Orchestra Partners, 1820 Third Ave. N., No. 300, began construction in May 2021 and is spending $40 million to renovate the historic office building. 205-590-5015
New Construction
The Birmingham City Council voted May 17 to approve a development agreement between the city of Birmingham and Corporate Realty, 60 14th St. S., Suite 104, paving the way for the long-blighted Carraway Hospital property to be repurposed into a 50-acre mixed-use development called The Star. This move followed a May 9 vote by the council’s Budget and Finance Committee to approve a proposal to activate provisions in the city’s agreement, including the release of $4.1 million in incentives that were approved by the council in 2020. Several structures on the 50-acre site will be torn down by this summer, but demolition will continue over the rest of this year, according to a Corporate Realty news release. 205-322-0703
The Birmingham City Council, with the recommendation of Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin, recently voted to approve a cost-sharing agreement with the Alabama Department of Transportation to improve interstate lighting in the city, according to a city news release. The $3.5 million project includes the restoration and maintenance of the interstate lighting on Interstate 59/20 from Tallapoosa Street to the I-59/20 route interchange, the release stated. The city will invest $1.65 million, and ALDOT will pay the rest. Other areas being updated by ALDOT are: I-59/20 at Arkadelphia Road; I-59/20 at the Ensley 5 Points interchanges (includes Ensley 5 Points Ave. W., 21st Street Ensley and 19th Street Ensley); Interstate 65 at Green Springs Ave.; and I-65 at University Boulevard. 205-254-2000
Southern Research broke ground May 16 on a biotech center that will anchor the development of 200,000 square feet of new or renovated wet lab space for life sciences. The new facility, located on the corner of Richard Arrington Jr. Boulevard and Ninth Avenue South, will double the organization’s lab space for researching infectious diseases. The new center is expected to create 150 new jobs and double the institution’s annual economic impact to $300 million a year, according to a Southern Research news release. The Alabama Legislature included $45 million for the Southern Research building in the state budget for 2023, marking the state government’s first investment in the campus, which was established in 1941. Construction will create more than 1,100 project-related jobs and generate more than $190 million in economic activity, said Southern Research President and CEO Josh Carpenter. In addition to the new construction, Southern Research has contracted Brasfield & Gorrie to help renovate more than 40,000 square feet at its existing campus on Southside. Investments include building out more vivarium space and launching a new clinical diagnostics lab. 205-581-2000
Work is underway on the new Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building and the Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation Conference Center after a groundbreaking in April. The new facility will involve a renovation of the existing Lyons-Harrison Research Building, 701 19th St. S., on the UAB campus, according to UAB News. Total project costs are expected to exceed $78 million. Construction is expected to be completed in spring 2024. 205-934-9999
The historic Webb Building, located at the corner of Second Avenue North and 20th Street in downtown Birmingham, is being redeveloped as a six-unit residential facility set to open in 2023, according to a recent report by bhamnow.com. The project partners are Ladd Real Estate, 6 Office Park Circle, No. 111; ARC Realty; Stewart/Perry; and David Baker Architects, the report stated. 205-879-4777
Construction Update
At press time, construction was nearly complete on the Birmingham Green Refresh project on 20th Street North downtown, according to REV Birmingham. The project, which took about six months, is an extensive redo of Birmingham Green, a landscaping and beautification project done in the 1970s. The Refresh included improving the streets and sidewalks, planting native landscaping, updating signage, adding new furnishings and expanding the bike and flex lanes installed on a portion of the street in 2020. Other improvements coming soon include the installation of smart trash cans, 4-foot-high “BHM” letters suitable for Instagram, free libraries housed in old mail boxes and street performances by musicians and others. 205-324-8797
Hoar Construction of Birmingham recently announced the topping out of Phase I of the new Science and Engineering Complex at UAB, meaning the building has reached its highest point. Located on 14th Street South between University Boulevard and 10th Avenue South, the facility measures 138,842 square feet, according to the Hoar website. The $76 million development represents Phase I of a three-phase project that will consolidate all of the basic science undergraduate and graduate studies in one complex. Construction of Phase 1 began in February 2021 and is expected to be completed in spring 2023. 205-934-4011
Due to The World Games 2022 running from July 7-17, the city of Birmingham recently announced that it would temporarily suspend some residential and commercial construction work and permit, with the first phase of the suspension set to begin June 21. “This will allow law enforcement, city planning and transportation officials to create a safe, efficient navigation system of the facilities and surrounding areas,” according to a city news release. This applies to the areas that surround the following World Games venues: Protective Stadium, central downtown, UAB, Avondale Park, Birmingham CrossPlex, Sloss Furnaces, Legion Field and Birmingham-Southern College. An exception may be granted if halting the construction project will cause significant damage or if an emergency necessitating a construction repair is needed, the release stated. 205-254-2000
News and Accomplishments
Chambers & Partners, in its newly released Chambers USA 2022 legal guide, recognized 16 practices and 50 attorneys at Balch & Bingham LLP, 1901 Sixth Ave. N., Suite 1500, as leaders in their disciplines and geographic areas, according to a recent Balch & Bingham news release. Rankings in the annual guide are based on a firm’s legal knowledge, experience, ability, effectiveness and client service, in addition to the strength and depth of a firm’s practice, the release stated. 205-251-8100
Employees of the Starbucks at 308 20th St. S. decided May 26 in a 27-1 vote to form a union, according to numerous media reports. The store will become the first Starbucks location in Alabama to unionize. The National Labor Relations Board oversaw the vote. After certification, the workers are to be represented by Workers United, Southern Regional Joint Board. 205-568-3510
Fleet management software company Fleetio, 1900 Second Ave. N., was recently listed at No. 315 on the Deloitte Technology Fast 500, a ranking of the 500 fastest-growing technology, media, telecommunications, life sciences, fintech and energy tech companies in North America. The company was the only one from Alabama to make the list. In addition, the company recently announced it had completed a renovation and expansion of its offices. 800-975-5304
Two UAB researchers are part of a team awarded a four-year, $3.9 million grant from the U.S. Department of Defense, according to a recent report from UAB News. Brooks Wingo is an associate professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy, and Amy Goss is an assistant professor in the Department of Nutrition Sciences. The investigators will look at the impact of diet on mobility, physical and cognitive function, pain, fatigue, sleep, mood and anxiety in people with multiple sclerosis. Wingo is the principal investigator of this project that comes through the Multiple Sclerosis Research Program. The project, “Impact of diet quality and calorie restriction on physical function and patient-reported outcomes in multiple sclerosis,” is a multisite effort that includes scientists at UAB and at Washington University in St. Louis. 205-934-4011
U.S. Sens. Tommy Tuberville and Richard Shelby, both R-AL, along with four other Republican senators, released a letter in which they called on President Joe Biden to take action against what they call the “aggression” by Mexican President Andrés Manuel López Obrador toward U.S. companies with investments and operations in Mexico. In early May, the Mexican government ordered Birmingham-based Vulcan Materials Company, 1200 Urban Center Drive, to shut down quarrying and extraction operations on one of its three active mining parcels in the country. 205-298-3000
Birmingham fast-food chain Milo’s Hamburgers plans to open two new locations in Alabama this year, according to a recent report by al.com. At press time, Milo’s is set to open a new location in Sylacauga in June and is planning another for Clanton later this year. Founder Milo Carlton, a WWII veteran, opened his first hamburger shop in Birmingham in 1946. 205-871-2000
Personnel Moves
Regions Bank, 1900 Fifth Ave. N., recently named Scott Peters to be its chief transformation officer and Kate Danella to be the head of consumer banking as part of a multiyear initiative to create the Regions Bank of the future, according to a news release. Peters joined Regions in 2004 and most recently served as head of the company’s Consumer Banking Group. Among his achievements, Peters led extensive modernization efforts in Regions’ updated branch network. Danella most recently served as chief strategy and client experience officer and led the bank to a 36% increase in new deposit account openings and loans booked through digital channels in 2021. 205-326-5151
Mayor Randall Woodfin announced June 2 that he had appointed Scott Thurmond as the new chief of the Birmingham Police Department. Thurmond had served as the interim chief since January after Chief of Police Patrick Smith resigned. His appointment was to be effective June 24, according to a city news release. A 23-year BPD veteran, Thurmond worked at several precincts and served in the department’s executive leadership. Most recently, he served as the executive assistant to the deputy chief of the Investigative Bureau. Thurmond is a University of Montevallo graduate with a bachelor’s degree in sociology and a minor in political science. 205-254-2000
Anniversaries
Concord Center, 2100 Third Ave. N., was built in 2002, and the building managers marked the occasion June 9 by opening a time capsule that was placed in the structure at the time of its completion by the original developers, contractor and architect, according to a news release from Cushman & Wakefield/EGS Commercial Real Estate. Other hosts for the event were BL Harbert international; Brookmont Realty Group, now a part of Graham and Company; Stone River Company; and Williams Blackstock Architects. Concord Center is an 11-story, 150,000-square-foot office building, according to bhamwiki.com. It replaced a parking lot that had been in use since 1937 when the old Jefferson County Courthouse at the site was demolished. 205-939-4440
Closings
Mike’s Fine Jewelry and Music Center, 2324 First Ave. N. in the Loft District, is closing. The store’s owner and founder, Michael Cohen, is retiring after operating the store for nearly 60 years. As of press time, the store was having a closing sale that even included the store’s furniture and fixtures, according to the store’s Facebook page. In 2017, Cohen told Iron City Ink that he opened the business on Fourth Avenue North in 1965 when he was 22 years old and moved to the current location in 1981.