Birmingham City Council provides money to help seafood company expand in Ensley

The Birmingham City Council, at its regular meeting for Tuesday, July 18, voted to provide a financial boost of at least $4 million to an Atlanta-based company with plans to expand its current operations in Ensley and eventually create 100 or more new jobs in that economically depressed area.

The council voted 6-0 to authorize a loan credit agreement in which the city will provide a $2 million Birmingham Business Development Loan to Inland Fresh Seafood Corp of America to allow the company to expand and renovate its current facility at 2700 Avenue D.

Members also voted 6-0 to authorize Mayor William Bell to submit a Community Development Block Grant loan guarantee application to the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development in the amount of $2 million for use in Inland’s expansion.

“I am super excited about the project," said Councilor Marcus Lundy, who represents District 9, which includes Ensley.

“This area has been extremely depressed,” Lundy said, noting the loss of steel industry jobs in the area in recent years.

Inland vice president Robert Novotny told the council that the firm, which has been in operation since 1976, is moving some of its production to Birmingham from Atlanta. 

The company is a distributor of meat, fish and seafood. Novotny said that 70 percent of Inland's business is with hotels and restaurants and the other 30 percent with retailers like Costco and Publix.

Lundy and Novotny that the firm plans to hold job fairs in the western section.

The city’s business development loan, with a term of 24 months and a one-percent annual interest, is to be secured with an irrevocable letter of credit.

And to make that loan happen, members voted 6-0 to amend an ordinance and increase the maximum loan amount under the Birmingham Business Development Loan Program from $1 million to $2 million.