Executive returns to Magic City to become BBA president, CEO
The Birmingham Business Alliance, the region’s leading economic development organization, has a new leader after a six-month search.
Kenneth E. Coleman was scheduled to assume the duties of president and CEO of the BBA on July 20, according to a news release from the organization. He will take over from interim president and CEO Fred McCallum, who will help him transition.
Coleman — currently interim president and CEO for the DeKalb Chamber of Commerce in metro Atlanta — has been a senior executive for 25 years.
He spent most of that time with the Southern Company and its subsidiaries Georgia Power, Alabama Power, Mississippi Power and Southern Company Gas.
In his new role, Coleman will be responsible for day-to-day operations of the BBA, as well as fostering collaborations between the BBA and its community partners to push economic growth for the seven-county region.
“I am excited to lead the Birmingham Business Alliance at such a pivotal time,” Coleman said. “The partnerships we strengthen, the jobs we help create and the support we provide to all businesses moving forward will shape Birmingham’s future as a leading metropolitan area.”
He can also draw on his experiences living in the Magic City in the 1990s. Coleman played professional baseball with the Birmingham Barons and later worked in business development for the Metropolitan Development Board, the predecessor to the BBA.
“Kenny will be able to hit the ground running as he is well known to many people in the region and is a proven leader” said Jim Gorrie, CEO of Brasfield & Gorrie LLC and 2020 BBA Chairman.
The search for a new CEO was led by Mark Tarr, president and CEO of Encompass Health.
“His track record of success, experience in a number of different markets, along with a familiarity of Birmingham made him the top pick to lead the BBA at such a critical time,” Tarr said.
Coleman points to such accomplishments as positioning Georgia Power as a leader in solar generation; developing a Smart Cities partnership between Georgia Power and the city of Atlanta; and serving as chairman of a $1 billion community economic development program in Montgomery.
He received a bachelor’s degree in communications from the University of New Haven and an MBA from the University of Alabama.