Last week, a writer from Barron’s visited Birmingham to take a look at the city’s tech scene.
Birmingham’s nationally recognized affordability a major selling point
When choosing a place to live or to do business, cost of living matters.
In addition to being a thriving, vibrant city, Birmingham’s cost of living is comparatively low. At 91 percent of the average national cost of living, Birmingham ranks as one of the lowest cost of living cities among Southeast metros.
New and expanding: Illumicare in expansion mode with revenue growth of more than 500 percent
It was through frustration that gastroenterologist Dr. Mukul Mehra came up with the concept for one of Birmingham’s most innovative businesses, Illumicare.
One of his patients was a 36-year-old nurse battling Chron’s disease. In the span of one year, she had 18 computer tomography (CT) scans, amounting to 600 X-rays. It was the radiation equivalent of standing one mile from Hiroshima more than twice in one’s lifetime. This patient had fallen victim to a common problem in health care, overutilization, and because of the amount of radiation she was exposed to, she had an increased cancer risk.
Twenty-one Birmingham companies make list of fastest growing private companies
Twenty-one Birmingham companies were named to Inc. magazine’s Inc. 5000 List. The annual list ranks the country’s fastest growing private companies.
The list looks at a number of different factors, including growth over the past three years and 2017 revenue.
Best practices: Apprenticeship program fills much needed CNC positions
Mike Evers, vice president of manufacturing at Sealing Equipment Products Co. Inc. (SEPCO), had been looking to fill vacant skilled machinist positions at his company for 24 months.
He wasn’t alone. Evers attended a roundtable discussion last year where he and other employers, including Alabama Plate Cutting and Precision Grinding, talked about issues, including a dire need for skilled workers.
Jeff Traywick promoted to BBA's Vice President of Economic Development
Jeff Traywick has been promoted to Vice President of Economic Development for the Birmingham Business Alliance (BBA). Traywick has served as the Senior Project Manager for Economic Development since joining the BBA in 2011.
Traywick’s promotion comes after another successful year for economic development in the seven-county region. Traywick has led numerous high-profile economic development projects for the BBA recently, including Amazon’s plan to build a $325 million fulfillment center in Bessemer, Autocar’s $120 million Birmingham manufacturing plant, and Mercedes-Benz U.S. International's $248 million Global Logistics Center and a new after-sales North American hub and MöllerTech’s $46.3 million manufacturing facility, both in Bibb County.
Birmingham’s innovation and technology scene featured in Forbes
Last month, a Forbes contributor visited Birmingham during the jam-packed Innovation Week. The resulting article, “Inside Birmingham’s Bid to Become the Southern Silicon Valley,” hones in on the tech scene that has drawn comparisons to Silicon Valley. It became clear that the Birmingham of today is not the Birmingham of old, a summation that Mayor Randall Woodfin agreed with.
Bioscience strengthens in Birmingham as companies expand
By the numbers, Alabama’s biosciences industry is booming.
A recent study from the University of Alabama said the industry contributes $7.3 billion annually to Alabama’s economy through the work of 780 companies. The industry employs 48,000 directly and indirectly, and of the 17,871 employed directly by biosciences, average annual salary is $67,664.
New and expanding: IBERIABANK adding 100 jobs
IBERIABANK has had an increasingly strong presence in Birmingham since its entrance into the city in 2009. The company’s commitment to Birmingham was only strengthened when late last year it was announced that the bank had purchased a building at International Park in Hoover, providing double the space for growth.
How Birmingham won the $785 million DC BLOX investment
DC BLOX CEO Jeff Uphues said it himself – his company could have gone anywhere.
The DC BLOX team ranked the top 40 markets in the Southeast in an exhaustive quantitative analysis and chose Birmingham – a city Uphues called “a hidden jewel in the Southeast” – because of its proximity to Atlanta, its investment in physical infrastructure, its higher education and its economic development activity. The final call was made, Uphues said, when he and his team experienced what he called “the heart of Birmingham,” and the company chose the Magic City to transform a 27-acre site in Birmingham into a technology and innovation campus that will become the flagship property for the company. Over the next decade, the project has the potential to represent a $785 million investment in the city.
Shipt expansion, new initiative set to boost Birmingham's tech economy
Shipt’s announcement this month that it plans to add 881 jobs and remain headquartered in Birmingham by investing $10 million in the city would have been enough good news for one day. But, alongside this announcement was another significant one: The City of Birmingham’s newest economic development incentive program, The Putting People First Fund.
New and expanding: 112-year-old Red Diamond evolves, innovates
Last year, Birmingham-based Red Diamond Coffee & Tea decided to make a change.
Since its founding 112 years ago, the company has dabbled in and out of the food service business, selling meat, fruit and vegetables to restaurants. In fact, the company was founded in 1906 as Donovan Provision Co. – it changed its name to Red Diamond two years later – but decided in 2017 to double down on its coffee and tea efforts, looking to expand in both markets and go to the next level with both products.
New and expanding: Ram Tool adds 65 jobs, moves to larger facility
At Birmingham-based Ram Tool Construction Supply Co., company culture is paramount.
The company offers intentional training to team members about the culture. It recognizes and rewards those who live the culture. On a closed-circuit television at the company, different team members who live and breathe the traits of the culture are spotlighted. And the company culture all circles back to five core values: Heroic service, integrity, sense of urgency, maximize talent and win through relationships.
New and expanding: TRICON anticipates 15 to 20 percent growth in coming years
Birmingham-based TRICON Wear Solutions provides advanced wear-resistant solutions that reduces its customers’ downtime and improves their bottom-line. The company exists to improve productivity by fighting wear.