Business Happenings - May 2022
Openings/Closures
Perfect Note Express, the café with soul, opened recently in the basement of Birmingham City Hall, 710 20th St. N., according to a city news release. Offering breakfast and lunch, the eatery is operated by the husband-and-wife team of Tremayne and Karen Thompson. They also own a dinner theater in Hoover, The Perfect Note Live Music and Dining, which opened in 2016. 205-254-2000
Avadian Credit Union relocated its downtown branch to Midtown near the Rotary Trail on March 21, according to a news release from the not-profit, member-owned financial cooperative. The branch features three video-capable automatic teller machines, two in the entryway and one in the parking garage. 888-282-3426
Lady E’s Chick’n Cafe, located at 1905 Park Place downtown, is now open. The eatery serves chicken wings with 17 different sauces, sides and other dishes.
Tha Vibe Bar and Lounge is now open at 3801 Richard Arrington Jr. Blvd. N. near North Avondale and East Birmingham. The operator, Kay Carter, also owns The Nail Nook salon, according to bhamnow.com. 205-202-3022
The Spun Cow — serving milkshakes, floats, ice cream, and cotton candy — opened in early April at The Pizitz Food Hall downtown. The Spun Cow offers locally made ice cream and 50 flavors of cotton candy, according to the shop’s website. 205-502-7401
The One Place Metro Alabama Family Justice Center held a grand opening on April 13, according to a One Place news release. One Place, 3613 Sixth Ave. S., exists to make it easier for victims and survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault to access services and resources and develop a safe plan of action. 205-453-7261
Described as a New York-style deli that serves ‘piled high’ sandwiches, I Love Tina & Gina’s was scheduled to open its Birmingham location at The Pizitz Food Hall on April 16, according to an announcement from the company.
Construction Update
Construction continues on CityWalk BHAM, a 31-acre linear park to be located under the new I-59/20 bridge near Uptown. The park will span 10 blocks along Ninth Avenue North between 15th Street North and 25th Street North. The park will offer such amenities as a dog park, a skate park, outdoor classrooms and an amphitheater. Construction is expected to be complete in time for The World Games 2022 Birmingham in July. For updates, go to citywalkbham.com.
News and Accomplishments
Harmony Venture Labs, a Birmingham-based venture studio that launches and develops high-growth startups, has announced its first studio venture: CoWello, an all-in-one space management platform that helps business owners get the most out of their wellness center space. The tool enables space owners to operate their business through an operations dashboard that facilitates flexible booking options, inventory management, integrated billing and payments and multilocation management. “Our team has a wide breadth of experience and a strong personal passion for supporting wellness in its many forms,” said Oz Imaghodor, a Homewood resident and entrepreneur-in-residence at CoWello.
On March 8, the Birmingham City Council passed an ordinance authorizing the sale and development of real estate with Green Meadow Apartments LLC, according to a city news release. The development team is all African American, including the general contractor. The city sold about 222 acres of land located near Lakeshore Parkway at 1911 Tiger Walk to Green Meadow Apartments for $1.5 million. Green Meadow Apartments will develop the project in phases, including single-family, multi-family and senior housing, as well as a commercial town center. There will be an estimated 900 residents. 205-254-2000
The Million Dollar Round Table Foundation, 1214 81st St. S., recently awarded $5,000 to Birmingham nonprofit Fresh Air Family Inc. The money will support science education for Alabama children in a fun, safe outdoor environment, according to a Fresh Air Family news release. Financial aid is available is needed in order for children to attend. Attendees at the camps are also exposed to advanced science and math. 205-540-6642
The Economic Development Partnership of Alabama (EDPA), 1320 First Ave. S., will launch its inaugural Fuel AL Fellowship this summer, offering interns from the Birmingham area the chance to travel to Huntsville, Montgomery, and Mobile and sample the history, culture, and professional opportunities of the state. Students must be enrolled at an Alabama college or university and employed for a paid summer 2022 internship starting no later than June 3. Students can apply at fuelalabama.org. 205-943-4700
General contractor Brasfield & Gorrie, 3021 Seventh Ave. S., won three national awards from Associated Builders and Contractors at the 32nd annual Excellence in Construction awards banquet in San Antonio on March 16. The awards were in several market sectors. Two projects earned first-place Eagle Awards, a federal courthouse in South Carolina and a research facility in North Carolina. One project — an Airbus assembly hangar in Mobile — won a second-place Pyramid award. 205-328-4000
On March 28, the Birmingham City Council approved an incentive agreement to help bring a new grocery store to the west side of Birmingham — a Food Giant to be located at 2220 Bessemer Road. The new store will be 25,000 square feet; half the size of the old Winn Dixie, making it more cost-effective to operate, according to a city news release. The incentive package includes $640,000 strictly for tenant improvements and modernization. The agreement also includes a 10-year revenue share that will be capped at $1 million. The incentive agreement is being financed from a $2 million spending plan earmarked for grocery store recruitment. 205-254-2000
Regions Bank, 2200 Fifth Ave. N., announced March 31 that the company had received the 2022 Gallup Exceptional Workplace Award for the eighth year. The award recognizes the most engaged workplace cultures in the world, and the Gallup research includes studies of millions of employees across all industries, according to a Regions news release. 205-326-5151
Dread River Distilling Co., 2400 Seventh Ave. S., announced in late March that it would release its own straight bourbon—made in downtown Birmingham—statewide on May 1. Dread River Bourbon will be available statewide via the Alabama ABC distribution network, for both wholesale and retail purchase, The distillery opened nearly three years ago. Distilled from a mash bill of corn, wheat and malted barley, Dread River’s straight bourbon is aged more than two years, finished in Caribbean rum casks and bottled at 90 proof. It is the first bourbon distilled on a commercial scale downtown in more than 100 years. 205-588-1744
Mayor Randall L. Woodfin announced March 9 that he had reappointed Willie Jean Lewis to the Board of Commissioners of the Housing Authority of Birmingham District (HABD). Lewis was first appointed to the board in 2016, and her term runs through August 13, 2026, according to a city news release. A 1957 graduate of Parker High School, Lewis attended the New York Institute of Technology. She has volunteered with numerous organizations and nonprofits. The HABD is the largest public housing agency in Alabama with 5,100 public housing units at 14 sites in the city. 205-254-2000
Balch & Bingham, 1901 Sixth Ave. N., Suite 1500, announced April 5 that the firm has been recognized by Chambers & Partners as leaders in their fields of practice in its Chambers Global 2022 Guide. The Chambers rankings are based on independent research and client interviews, according to a Balch & Bingham news release. Chambers is recognized for Energy: Nuclear (Regulatory & Litigation) in the new guide. 205-251-8100
More than 800 Black business owners in Birmingham applied for the inaugural Magic City Match grant program, and an independent committee recently selected a cohort of 25 to move forward in the process, according to a news release from the nonprofit IGNITE! Funded by Prosper and presented by IGNITE! as well as REV Birmingham and Urban Impact, Magic City Match is designed to increase business competency and provide access to capital and new market opportunities for Black business owners with brick-and-mortar locations in Birmingham. These 25 Black-owned businesses have been selected for the inaugural Magic City Match program: Cameron Crummie, MDV ; Aurelia Davis, Salon Textures; Reginald Davis; LaTisha Fletcher, Sankofa Ventures; Greg & Cynthia Gratton, Green Acres Cafe Downtown; Carla Green, Kloud 9; Joi Iman Gresham, Joi Iman; Alisha Jiwani, Nia Benefit Corporation; Jay Johnson, Johnson Media Group Inc., College Prep U; LaToya Jolly, Jolly Cakes; Wanda & Eugene Jones, Talk of the Town Barbershop; Alexis Kimbrough, Herban Soul Café ; Tangy King-Essex, Squeaky Clean Cleaning Company; Matthew Mayes, Matthew Mayes Art; Martrell McGinnis, Rid-A-Bug Pest Control and Termite; Heather Skanes, Oasis Family Birthing Center; Ursula Smith, Ursula Smith Dance; Tiffany Storey, Storeyhouse Counseling & Consulting; Theuda Tusajiwe, N’mosa Fabrics; Jon Westbrook, Stez Eats; Andre Williams, MADD Studios; Lavoris Williams, L Williams and Associates; Corey Whatley, Woodlawn Bar & Lounge; Krystal White, Properties and Pipelines; Dexter Young Jr., Henley & Young.
Personnel Moves
Real estate professionals Jessica Stockdale, David Brown, Judy Nevett Talley and Kelvin Wilson joined the EXIT Realty Birmingham office in Lakeview in March, according to a news release from the company. Hayley Harper joined EXIT Legacy Realty in Leeds. 205-202-2747
Innovation Depot, 1500 First Ave. N., recently made two new hires for its programs department, according to an April 6 report at AL.com. Heather Milam will serve as director of acceleration, and Katherine Zobre will serve as director of training. Milam was a senior analyst with Avenu Insights & Analytics. Zobre comes from the Alabama Small Business Development Center Network, where she worked as a business advisor. 205-250-8000
FC Birmingham announced the hiring of Kat Nichols as head coach for its women’s team in March. United Women’s Soccer announced in January there would be a new Birmingham franchise. A Texas native, Nichols played soccer at Samford University and has been coached for numerous Birmingham-area clubs for 17 years. Founded in 2020, FC Birmingham is a semi-pro soccer club with men’s and women’s teams, according to the club Facebook page. Facebook @fcbham
Birmingham Mayor Randall L. Woodfin has announced new appointments in the Department of Community Development, which administers the City’s Housing and Urban Development Grants, implements plans, enforces code and does community assessments and outreach. The following appointments begin on April 1, according to a city news release: Chris Hatcher, recovery czar/chief community planner; Dr. Meghan V. Thomas, director of community development; Adrienne Stitt, director of the grants division; Cory Stallworth, senior deputy director of community development; and Wendy Hicks, deputy director of community development.
Anniversaries
Avondale Common House, 4100 3rd Ave. S., is celebrating its fifth anniversary May 11. 205-703-9895