Business Happenings - June 2022
Now Open
Freshwater Land Trust, 3501 First Ave. S., a Birmingham-based nonprofit, hoisted a ribbon cutting at the new Moon River Canoe Launch in Irondale on May 3. The event was attended by Irondale Mayor James Stewart and other officials, according to a news release from FWLT. The new parking lot allows safe, direct access to a short trail leading to the Moon River canoe launch, allowing canoe enthusiasts access to the Cahaba River. A canoe launch has existed at this location for several years, but until now there has not been a parking lot to service it. 205-417-2777
SOCU Southern Kitchen & Oyster Bar, 821 Second Ave. N., Suite 176, held its grand opening on May 6, according to a news release from the eatery. The restaurant focuses on seafood and on elevated versions of classic Southern dishes, such as dressing, grits, pork chops and gravy, chicken and waffles and braised oxtails. The original SOCU in Mobile was opened in 2019 by Chef Erica Barrett. 205-961-4458 thepizitz.com/food-hall
Coming Soon
The Pihakis Restaurant Group, owners of such Birmingham eateries as Hero Doughnuts + Buns, The Little Donkey and Rodney Scott’s BBQ, is opening a new restaurant near Railroad Park, according to media reports. At press time, Tasty Town Restaurant and Lounge, 10 14th Street South — a Greek-style establishment — was to open during the spring. eattastytown.com OR facebook.com/eattastytown
Total on 1st Advanced Clinical Spa, 1927 First Ave. N. — an extension of Total Skin & Beauty Dermatology Center on Southside — held a ribbon cutting on April 20 and announced that the facility would be fully operational by June 6, according to a news release from the facility. Birmingham City Councilor Darrell O’Quinn attended the ribbon cutting, as well as several Birmingham Business Alliance members and local business owners. Located on the first floor of the historic Woodward Building on the corner of First Avenue North and 19th Street North, Total on 1st is billed as the only medical spa of its kind in downtown Birmingham. It is a combination aesthetic medical center and day spa providing nonsurgical aesthetic medical services and spa treatments. 205-380-6123
Uptown Jazz, 2250-B Ninth Ave. N., offering jazz music and cocktails, is scheduled to open this summer in the Uptown Entertainment District at the BJCC, according to local media reports. The lounge is owned by long-time Birmingham residents and jazz fans Rod Conwell and Patrick Chatman.
Renovations and Relocations
The city of Birmingham is turning some old tennis courts at East Lake Park, 8101 Fourth Ave. N., into a new outdoor gym, similar to another facility at the west end of Railroad Park downtown, according to an April 14 report by bhamnow.com. The $250,000 gym was expected to be installed within two months, weather permitting, the report states. 205-254-2000
REV Birmingham, 5529 First Ave. S., and the city of Birmingham were scheduled to host The (20th) Street Party on May 20 to celebrate the reopening of Birmingham Green downtown, according to a REV news release. The event was to be held on 20th Street North between Second Avenue North and Fourth Avenue North. For the last six months, crews have been working on the Birmingham Green Refresh project, which included improving the streets and sidewalks, planting native landscaping, updating signage and adding new furnishings. As The World Games 2022 approaches, the street has been designated “World Games Boulevard,” according to the release. Some of the improvements being made are expansion of the bike and flex lanes installed on a portion of the street in 2020, native and drought-resistant landscaping similar to that used in Railroad Park and Rotary Trail, and flexible cafe-style public seating plus interactive elements. 205-324-8797
New Construction
At press time, demolition was scheduled to begin in May at the Carraway Hospital site in Norwood, making way for a new mixed-use development to be called The Star at Uptown, according to a May 9 news release from the developer, Corporate Realty of Birmingham, 60 14th St. S., Suite 104. The Budget and Finance Committee of the Birmingham City Council voted May 9 to approve a proposal to activate provisions in the city’s agreement with Corporate Realty, and the full council was scheduled to vote May 17. Among other things, the city is releasing $4.1 million in incentives that were approved by the council in 2020. While several structures on the 50-acre site will be torn down by this summer, demolition will continue over the rest of this year. The buildings will be brought down gradually with heavy equipment, and no dramatic implosions are planned, said Robert Simon, CEO and President of Corporate Realty. Carraway Hospital closed in 2008. 205-322-0703
At press time, Southern Research, 2000 Ninth Ave. S. — a scientific research organization in Birmingham — was scheduled to hold a groundbreaking on May 16 tor a new $84 million biotech center to be built on the nonprofit’s Southside campus. The facility is expected to create 125 new jobs, according to a Southern Research news release. Governor Kay Ivey, Birmingham Mayor Randall Woodfin and other officials were expected to attend the groundbreaking. 205-581-2000
UAB Medicine broke ground on April 11 for the new Altec/Styslinger Genomic Medicine and Data Sciences Building and the Marnix E. Heersink Institute for Biomedical Innovation Conference Center, according to UAB News. The 175,000-square-foot building will be iconic in its architecture, with a double-helix design. The new facility will involve renovation of the existing Lyons-Harrison Research Building, located at 701 19th St. South on the UAB campus. The project is being funded with $50 million from the state Public School and College Authority, $5 million from Jefferson County and funds supplied by UAB donors Altec/Styslinger Foundation and Marnix and Mary Heersink. Total project costs are expected to exceed $78 million. Construction is expected to be completed in spring 2024. 205-934-9999
Construction Update
Development partners Novare Group and Batson-Cook Development Co. of Atlanta have completed work Tributary Rise a 286-unit apartment community surrounded by a 100-acre nature preserve with a three-mile system of private hiking trails. The development is located near The Summit. Tributary Rise offers studio, one-, two- and three-bedroom units.
News and Accomplishments
The United States Football League announced in April that Andrews Sports Medicine & Orthopaedic Center, 805 St. Vincents Drive, Suite 100, in Birmingham has been named a league medical provider. The USFL has a local franchise — the Birmingham Stallions — and is playing its entire 2022 debut season in the Magic City. Andrews Sports Medicine will provide doctors for four USFL teams, including sideline medical assistance at all USFL games those teams play, according to a news release from the league. Andrews Sports Medicine also played a role in staffing and conducting preseason player physicals, the release states. 205-939-3699
Regions Bank, 1900 Fifth Ave. N., and PGA Tour Champions announced on May 11 a 9-year extension for the Regions Tradition golf tournament. The annual Regions Tradition was held from May 12-15 at Greystone Golf and Country Club. First played in 1989, the tournament is designated as one of the five major championships on the PGA Tour Champions, formerly known as the Senior Tour. 205-326-5151
It was announced on May 5 that Automatic Seafood & Oysters, 2824 Fifth Ave. S., has been named a Regional Top 10 Honoree in the Best U.S. Restaurant Bar – U.S. Central category in Tales of The Cocktail’s 16th annual 2022 Spirited Awards. Chef Adam Evans opened the restaurant in 2019, according to a news release from the eatery. Evans works with local vendors, markets and fisheries, to create simple, high-quality seafood dishes. 205-580-1600
On May 3, Dr. Casey Weaver — the Wyatt and Susan Haskell Endowed Chair for Medical Excellence in the UAB Department of Pathology — was elected to the National Academy of Sciences, one of the highest honors offered to scientists in the U.S., according to a UAB news release. The NAS is a private, non-profit society of scholars who provide independent, objective counsel to the nation on matters related to science and technology. For over three decades, Weaver’s research has focused on immunology, specifically T-cells, which develop from stem cells in the bone marrow and help protect the body from infection and cancer. In addition to his endowed chair in pathology, Weaver holds appointments in the O’Neal Comprehensive Cancer Center, the departments of medicine, neurology and microbiology. 205-934-4303
On April 30, for the first time in six years, Birmingham wedding-dress designer Heidi Elnora Atelier, 2024 Morris Ave., hosted a runway show to celebrate her 15th anniversary in business and to raise money for schools in North Jefferson County, according to a news release from the designer. The event, titled “Meet Me at the Altar,” was held in Warrior. Schools to benefit from the event include the Burkett Center, Bryan Elementary School, Warrior Elementary School, North Jefferson Middle School and Mortimer Jordan High School. 205-250-5233
On April 29, the Alabama Launchpad — a program of the Economic Development Partnership of Alabama, 1320 First Ave. S. — announced the winners of its Cycle 1 2022 Finale. CROUX and House Plant Collective won a combined $75,000 in the business competition. The two startups competed among nine finalist companies at a live event at the Innovation Portal of Mobile. CROUX, which is based in Birmingham, claimed $25,000, winning the concept-stage competition. The CROUX helps restaurant owners connect with talent looking for new or flexible employment opportunities, based on their unique schedules. House Plant Collective — also located in Birmingham — won the early-seed stage prize of $50,000. The company is focused on connecting a community of plant enthusiasts and providing consumers with the necessary education to maintain healthy, thriving plants. Since its inception in 2006, Alabama Launchpad has now funded 108 Alabama startups and awarded over $5.8 million in non-dilutive funding to the winning companies, according to a release from the organization. 205-943-4700
Personnel Moves
Dunn Investment Company, 3900 Messer Airport Highway, announced May 3 that Evans Dunn would serve as president of Dunn Real Estate, the company’s real estate investment subsidiary. Dunn was to assume the role of president on May 1, according to a news release from the company. He replaces Chris Hoyt, who will transition into a strategic advisory role. Dunn began his career at Dunn Construction Company in 2004 after working for 12 years at Royal Cup Coffee and has served in a variety of capacities, the release states. Most recently, he served as vice president for business development for the Dunn family of companies. 205-592-8908
Forge Breast Cancer Survivor Center, 1321 19th St. S., announced April 15 that Ana Emaldi will serve as the organizations’s Hispanic Community Outreach & Client Services Coordinator. Emaldi earned a bachelor’s in political science with a minor in Spanish from UAB, according to a BCSC news release. She has been working with the Hispanic community for 10 years, providing Spanish medical, legal and commercial interpretation in the public and private sectors. Ar BCSC, Emaldi will provide support and resources to Spanish-speaking individuals impacted by breast cancer. 205-838-6159
Main Street Alabama, 880 Montclair Road, Suite 245, a nonprofit organization based in Birmingham that seeks to bring jobs, money and people back to the state’s historic communities, recently announced a new board chair and 11 new board members. MSA selected Jim Byard Jr. as its new chair, according to an April 20 news release from the organization. Byard has served on the MSA board since 2017. The following new board members began their 3-year terms effective in February: Stephanie Bryan, CEO and chair, Poarch Creek; Ronald W. Davis, executive director, Wiregrass Resource Conservation & Development; Charles Goodrich, director, Timberline Venture Investments; Tina Naremore Jones, vice president, Division of Economic & Workforce Development, University of West Alabama; Matt McCurry, manager of business development, Alabama Power; Joshua Vick, business development lead, Spire. New non-voting members are State Sen. Clyde Chambliss; State Rep. Anthony Daniels; Scott Farmer, Executive Director, Southeast Alabama Regional Planning and Development Commission; Hunter Gentry, Executive Director, Historic Main Street Oxford and Connie Payton, City Clerk, City of Calera. 205-910-8819
Regions Bank, 1900 Fifth Ave. N., announced on May 4 that it has hired Dan Massey as the company’s chief enterprise operations and technology officer. Massey will lead teams that oversee enterprise operations, application development, information technology, information security, data and analytics and corporate computing. He joins Regions following nearly 30 years with Truist Bank and predecessor companies, including SunTrust Bank. He is experienced both in leading teams to modernize banking technologies and working with business groups to provide products and services to clients. 205-326-5151
Anniversaries
Ingrid’s Gymnastics, 8228 Division Ct N, will celebrate its 28th year in business in July. Ingrid’s gymnastics offers beginner, intermediate, and advanced classes for boys and girls. (205) 833-0584
MELT Avondale, 4105 Fourth Ave. S., is celebrating eight years of business. 205-917-5000
Scott Miller Projects, 2212 Morris Ave., Ste. 103, will Celebrate his 1 year anniversary of the opening of his studio at The Mercantile on Morris on June 24. (205) 307-9673