Guide TO MadisOn COunTy, aLabaMa - Huntsville/Madison County ...

2012-2013 Guide TO
HUNTSVILLE
MadisOn COunTy, aLabaMa
a smart place to live, work and play
a PubLiCaTiOn Of The ChaMber Of COMMerCe Of hunTsviLLe/MadisOn COunTy

2 | Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County 256.535.2000 | www.huntsvillealabamausa.com
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4 | Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County 256.535.2000 | www.huntsvillealabamausa.com
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8 | Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County 256.535.2000 | www.huntsvillealabamausa.com

Contents
12 | WeLCOMinG enTrePreneurs
Huntsville’s a great place for a startup
16 | HigH-res talent
Simulation expertise is attracting gaming interest
22 | LOW COsT LifesTyLe
Businesses and employees say the area is easy on the wallet
26 | a baLanCed PLaCe
New arrivals are impressed with what they find
32 | buiLdinG GreaT Minds
Schools deliver the kind of smart students area demands
38 | bOdy & Mind
Your health care is in good hands here
42 | federaL CiTy
Redstone Arsenal vital to the nation’s security
48 | We Can dO iT
Cummings Research Park a center of technical creativity
54 | daZZLinG shOPPinG
Area’s variety is delightfully surprising
58 | PLayTiMe
Plenty to do in your leisure hours
64 | deMOGraPhiCs
65 | ChaMber sTaff
ON THE COVER
Opened in 2010, the davidson Center for the arts is a 21,000-square-foot
expansion of the huntsville Museum of art that includes eight galleries
and walls of windows overlooking big spring international Park.
Photo by John Perry.
2012-2013 Guide TO
hunTsviLLe
MadisOn COunTy,
aLabaMa
www.huntsvillealabamausa.com | 256.535.2000 Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County | 9
v
Published by
The huntsville Times
2317 Memorial Parkway sW
huntsville, aL 35801
256.532.4250 phone
256.532.4183 fax
v
viCe PresidenT Of adverTisinG
natalie Pruitt
adverTisinG ManaGers
becky fentress | Chad Ludwig
Lauren O’neil | Lori Ziegelmann
ediTOriaL direCTOr | Jim steele
WriTers
Kimberly ballard | deborah bennick
bob Labbe | diana LaChance
Lee anne Letize | anna Thibodeaux
arT direCTOr | Leslie franklin
GraPhiC desiGn | Kelly Perry
PhOTOGraPhy direCTOr
Michael Mercier
v
2012-2013 Guide to huntsville/Madison
County, alabama is published
by The Huntsville Times for
the Chamber of Commerce of
huntsville/Madison County
for membership information, contact:
The Chamber of Commerce
of huntsville/Madison County
225 Church street
huntsville, aL 35801
256.535.2000 phone
256.535.2015 fax
www.huntsvillealabamausa.com
for more information about this
publication, call 256.532.4250.
The Huntsville Times also produces
area guides, magazines, and other
specialty publications.
Copyright©2012 The Huntsville Times.
all rights reserved. reproduction in whole or
in part without written permission is prohibited.

welCome
Thank you for picking up this copy of the 2012-13 Guide to Huntsville/Madison
County, A Smart Place to Live, Work and Play. This publication is designed to
provide information to newcomers and long-time residents alike about what
drives our local economy and makes the Huntsville Metropolitan Area such a
dynamic business community.
Throughout the guide you will see – in words and photos – what drives our
technology-based economy, such as Redstone Arsenal and Cummings Research
Park. Likewise, the area continues to attract people from across the country
based on excellent salaries and career opportunities as well as our high quality
of life, low cost of living, short commute times and a thriving arts and recreation
community.
According to the 2010 U.S. Census, the Huntsville Metropolitan Statistical
Area surged in growth to become Alabama’s second largest metro. That growth
is fueled by a diversity of industry, including aerospace, defense, biotechnology,
computer science and advanced manufacturing.
As the lead economic development organization for Huntsville/Madison County, the Chamber’s primary mission is to
prepare the community for economic growth, attract new employers and help existing industries expand. We accomplish
this thanks to Chamber members and public partners investing in the Huntsville Regional Economic Growth Initiative
(HREGI), which allows us to recruit targeted industries; help existing employers meet their expansion needs;
promote the community’s image nationally and internationally; work with our local and regional universities and
colleges for economic and workforce development; and continue to create a platform of economic diversity.
Your Chamber of Commerce is here to provide you with information and personalized service to meet your needs.
Please do not hesitate to contact us for more information at 256-535-2000 or visit our
website at www.huntsvillealabamausa.com. We believe that when it comes to business
and career opportunities, you will discover the truth in what we say: The sky is NOT
the limit in Huntsville and Madison County!
Jim Bolte
dear friend,
2012 Chair of the Board
Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County
10 | Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County 256.535.2000 | www.huntsvillealabamausa.com

0000276898-01

Welcoming
Entrepreneurs
HuNTsVillE’s a gREaT plaCE fOR a sTaRTup
By Diana LaChance
The entrepreneurial spirit in huntsville has
spawned well-known startups like adTran,
digium and the hudsonalpha institute for
biotechnology.
This spirit is encouraged by a readily accessible
corps of experienced entrepreneurs and by a city
that embraces growth and is quick to help business
people with strong ideas and a strong drive to
succeed. This environment has created fertile
ground for new businesses, both large and small.
Huntsville is firmly wedded to the idea that
business growth means community growth, and
in 2010 the success of that model became evident
when the rocket City became the second largest
metropolitan area in alabama. it also led fDi
magazine to name huntsville one of the Top 5
small Cities of the future in north & south
america in april 2011 and Forbes to name it one of
the Top 20 Leading Metros for business just three
months later.
Growth in huntsville and Madison County took
flight in the 1950s when Dr. Wernher von Braun
and his team inspired the nation with the race to
the moon and turned huntsville into the
birthplace of the nation’s space industry. That
created a long tradition of technological
innovation in space and defense that continues
today. illuminating that designation, Microsoft
cofounder Paul G. allen announced in late 2011
that his commercial spaceflight startup stratolaunch
systems would locate in huntsville.
“huntsville has a long history of rocket
research and development, including von braun’s
redstone rocket and numerous others, so it
seemed logical that the development of this
system could benefit from the experience in the
n steve Cook, left, director of space technologies at
dynetics and Gary Wentz, president and CeO of
stratolaunch systems. Commercial space venture
stratolaunch systems, cofounded by Microsoft
cofounder Paul allen and commercial spacecraft
designer burt rutan, has chosen huntsville as its
headquarters. dynetics is a key part of the
company’s space vehicle development.
Photo by Glenn Baeske.
area,” said stratolaunch President and CeO Gary
Wentz, a former chief engineer at nasa.
“furthermore, the experience required to
combine a large rocket with an airplane is not
found in most cities, but huntsville has a unique
blend of both. With the magnitude of space and
aviation programs and projects in the area, the
city offered our team the opportunity to leverage
a highly skilled workforce who has spent decades
supporting nasa and the army programs at
redstone arsenal.”
a local company providing stratolaunch
systems expertise is dynetics, which is charged
with the technical integration and development
of the mating and integration hardware. although
dynetics’ director of space Technologies steve
Cook said he can’t speak directly as to why the
company was chosen as a partner, he does have a
few ideas.
“dynetics has a long history of dropping very
large payloads from aircraft over the last 10 years,
and we build and integrate small satellite systems,”
Cook said. “so we have experience with the payload
side of this, and we understand the market.”
The company completed construction on a
new 225,000-square-foot prototyping facility
located in Cummings research Park this year.
“it’s a huge facility with extensive laboratory
and manufacturing capabilities, as well as the
capability to house the engineering and project
management staff,” said Cook. “and it’s good for
our customers because they don’t have to travel
halfway across the country to get hardware built.”
it’s also good for the city, he adds.
“With the current federal deficit and the city’s
strong ties to the federal government, bringing in
more non-federal dollars is an important way to
even out the ups and downs of the federal
budget,” said Cook.
and the partnership with stratolaunch systems
takes that diversification one step further.
“huntsville has long been a leader in government
space, but this partnership will now
establish it as a leader in commercial space,”
he said. “More related industries will take note
because of it. and that’s good for everyone –
current businesses and future opportunities.”
reaching out into the future was on the mind of
well-known huntsville entrepreneur Jim hudson,
too, when he founded the 150-acre hudsonalpha
institute for biotechnology to explore genomics
– the study of genes, gene sequences and their
functions ¬– and to foster a new kind of relationship
between research and business geared to
fast-throughput processes designed to speed
scientific discoveries into new products.
12 | Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County 256.535.2000 | www.huntsvillealabamausa.com

The institute has as its core missions science and
research, education and economic development.
for hudson, the decision to locate the campus
in the rocket City was not a difficult one, based
on his past experience.
“separately, Lonnie McMillian, co-founder of
hudsonalpha, and i started several companies in
huntsville, all of which were successful,” he said.
“so it was only natural that when we decided to
start a major research institute, it should be located
within the community that had been so supportive.”
indeed, he said, it’s the community’s “no-nonsense,
can-do attitude” as well as the way everyone
roots for and appreciates success that make the
huntsville area the best ever for a startup company.
Many of the scientists who have since joined
the institute have come to the same conclusion
– and cite the institute itself as a critical element
to their success.
“in just the last five years, the number of new
biotech companies has gone up significantly
where hudsonalpha institute for biotechnology
has served as the magnet and nurturing
environment,” said Khursheed anwer, president
and chief scientific officer of egen inc., a
specialty biopharmaceutical company that
operates out of hudsonalpha.
and it doesn’t hurt that the city at large is so
conducive to start-ups either, he added,
mentioning growth opportunities and affordable
cost of living as two key advantages.
Like anwer, Mike Walters also credits the
institute with creating a fertile environment for
new companies. Walters serves as the chief
strategy officer of Kailos genetics, another
hudsonalpha mainstay that focuses on putting
genetics into practice through its proprietary
targeted enrichment technology.
“Kailos Genetics is a living and thriving
example of the vision behind hudsonalpha,”
he said. “early on, those who saw the opportunity
for a genomics-based institute in huntsville
envisioned researchers within the institute
sharing space and innovative science with
commercial companies. and because our
underlying technology is the product of work
done by hudsonalpha scientist K.T. varley, Kailos
Genetics chose to locate at the institute.”
and like anwer, Walters said he’s found ample
support outside of the institute as well.
“We have individuals in huntsville who have
realized financial independence and who don’t stop.
They are committed to giving back to create a more
diverse economic base for our future,” he said.
That commitment paves the way for future
generations of entrepreneurs.
“The talent pool of professionals here has the
entrepreneurial spirit, talent and desire to fuel
this next step,” Walters said.
Marshall schreeder Jr., Managing Partner of
Conversant bio, a fellow hudsonalpha-based
startup that supplies u.s.-sourced human clinical
specimens for research and development
applications worldwide, compares this mentality
to “a rising tide that lifts all boats.”
he said he has continued to be amazed by the
unbelievable level of support for entrepreneurs in
huntsville.
n Glenn Clayton,
founder and CeO
of appleton Learning,
says locating his
company in huntsville
was a “no-brainer.”
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www.huntsvillealabamausa.com | 256.535.2000 Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County | 13
0000266427-01

“from local executives and fellow entrepreneurs
to investors and groups like hudsonalpha,
upcaret Partners, biztech and suds, huntsville
has many people who actively seek to help new
and growing businesses in our community,”
schreeder said.
“i am happy to call huntsville home for my
company.”
also benefiting from that rising tide are the
many aspiring engineers currently enrolled as
students in huntsville’s institutions of higher
learning. and in turn, said adTran vice President
of engineering Carrier networks Clint Coleman, the
city’s university system is a great benefit to
companies wanting to start operations in huntsville.
adTran is a Fortune 500 huntsville success
story. founded by Mark smith and incorporated
in 1985, the company saw opportunity in at&t’s
divestiture of its regional bell Operating
Companies and began operations in 1986. the
split created an opening for the company to start
supplying networking equipment, and today
adTran is a leading global provider of intelligent
networking and communications solutions used
by some of the world’s largest service providers.
“The universities here are producing a lot of
engineers,” Coleman said. “The university of
alabama in huntsville is one of the places where
we recruit, and we hire a lot of graduates. in fact,
whenever we go back and look at our recruiting
statistics, uahuntsville is usually the leader in the
number of students we recruit, compared to
other schools like Mississippi state and auburn.”
in return, he said, the city supports the
company’s recruiting.
“Our leaders recognize that companies like
adTran are providing jobs and tax revenue to
the city to allow for growth, so they foster an
entrepreneurial spirit and they invite entrepreneurism,”
he said.
an example of that entrepreneurial drive is
Mark spencer, who started out as a college
student trying to figure out a way to be able to
make long-distance phone calls cheaply or for
free using a computer. That college curiosity led
spencer to develop open-source telephony
n Michelle and Justin Givens found
resources to help start Michelle’s
business, image in a box, at the
Women’s business Center of
north alabama.
Photo by Glenn Baeske.
software that is today called asterisk and locate
his company Digium, which was founded in 1999,
in huntsville.
The company today has a broad product line
that includes both software and hardware
products for small, medium and large businesses.
While in his startup phase, spencer relied heavily
on adTran’s smith and others locally for
expertise, and he said that ready resource
remains a great community asset.
“We have a whole culture of entrepreneurial
mentorship here, so people who have established
businesses spend a lot of time helping those who
are just starting,” said spencer, who is now
digium’s CeO.
“When i was starting my company, plenty of
people were available who i could network with. i
could just call them up out of the blue and say
‘hey, i’m going through some challenges and i’m
looking for advice.’ They would meet with me,
even if they didn’t know me.”
Lower commute times for employees, lower
housing costs compared to metropolitan areas of
similar size, and tax abatement programs for
businesses are all benefits to locating in Huntsville.
“There are a lot of reasons for businesses to
locate here,” said randy Piechocki, president of
PaLCO, a reverse logistics company. “huntsville is
very conducive to startups, from being a good
source of talent and networking opportunities to
having a strong infrastructure in terms of
communications.”
PaLCO Chair and CeO Janice Migliore said
diversity in business ownership has been of
longstanding importance in the area.
“i believe the trail in huntsville had already
been blazed by other women owners since the
very early years of von braun and his team and by
redstone arsenal,” said Migliore. “and because of
these established years of success, the support
for diversity-owned companies is now evident
throughout the community and through the
continued work of the huntsville leadership.”
it also helps that the city has a strong
collaborative business culture that allows
companies, diversity-owned or otherwise, to rely
on and learn from one another.
“The networking opportunities, leadership
support and labor skills have made my job easier
as a business owner,” she said. “i can contact
other huntsville businesses, the Chamber, or
huntsville leaders and have questions answered
and solutions found.”
huntsville has worked hard to enable and
support diversity owned startups through the
Chamber of Commerce of huntsville/Madison
County and the Women’s business Center of
north alabama.
14 | Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County 256.535.2000 | www.huntsvillealabamausa.com

nancy Washington vaughn’s 2011 startup,
Legal advantage human resources solutions
LLC, is an example.
“The professional development workshops
offered by local experts at the Chamber of
Commerce of huntsville/Madison County and
the Women’s business Center of north alabama
have been beneficial to me as i established my
practice,” said vaughn. “and i am pleased to
have the opportunity to provide professional
development training at the Chamber of
Commerce this year by conducting six employment
and human resources law workshops
created for businesses.”
There are many resources available to
huntsville business owners, said sara alavi,
who relied on city resources to help her open
silhouette boutique nine months ago.
“they have really helped a first-time business
owner like myself,” she said. “The Chamber of
Commerce’s events are a great way to network
and learn about all the wonderful local businesses
in the area, while the Women’s business Center of
north alabama has really been a wonderful
resource for not only helping me start my business,
but also to develop ideas and help it grow.”
That appreciation is shared by Michelle Givens,
owner of image in a box, another recent startup
that provides businesses with graphic design, web
development and corporate branding services.
“The Women’s business Center of north
alabama gave us the resources to start our business
– help with coming up with a business plan, putting
Customer Focused, Employee Driven
n digium CeO Mark spencer says the availability of
fellow businesspeople who are willing to help those
starting out is a big plus for the area.
Photo by Glenn Baeske.
us in contact with an accountant, a lawyer and help
with writing contracts,” said Givens.
appleton Learning founder and CeO Glen
Clayton said locating his academic coaching/test
preparation/academic assessment /school
partnership company in huntsville was a
no-brainer.
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“as our company expands across the country,
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to have started right here in huntsville,” Clayton
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outstandingly supportive. i can think of no
greater community to start a business in than
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www.huntsvillealabamausa.com | 256.535.2000 Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County | 15
0000267222-01

High-Res Talent
simulaTiON ExpERTisE is aTTRaCTiNg
gamiNg iNTEREsT
By Kimberly Ballard
an interesting thing happened over the past
50 years that coincided with huntsville helping
nasa explore space, make it to the moon and
then to build and maintain the international
space station.
Here on earth, 1950s pinball machines were
evolving into arcade games and arcade games
were morphing into atari interactive home game
consoles, and consoles have blossomed into high
tech electronic digital games that are downloadable
to personal computers, laptops and mobile
devices like iPhones and iPads.
Gaming concepts, strategies and themes are
still consistently based on the good guys beating
the bad guys in galactic battles and futuristic
apocalyptic wars, but modern gamers take on the
roles of schwarzenegger-like superheroes and
time-weary warriors and soldiers.
during that time, huntsville was polishing a
gleaming reputation in the space and defense
industries for high-end visualization and graphics
created by the city’s modeling and simulation
experts. Maybe starting with something as simple
as a conceptual rendering scratched out in scant
detail on a cocktail napkin, or a crude model of
perhaps nothing more than wooden crates nailed
together to form a squat tripod with no legs,
huntsville’s design engineers have constantly sought
to project their vision into something tangible.
inside their heads, a newly conceived lunar
electric rover is already in motion, bumping along
the dusty, cratered surface of a mock moon, or a
meaner, more angular department of defense
military fighter rides the clouds against a violent
morning sunrise, or a bulbous toy-like launcher is
jettisoning above a metallic city of the future.
“nasa’s demand for realism pushes our
modeling and simulation limits,” said Kenneth
smith, vice president of analytical Mechanics
associates inc. (aMa), a world-class provider of
engineering, iT, visualization and business analytical
services to the u.s. government and
commercial organizations. “The industry expects
it, and software makes it possible.”
n The rocket City space Pioneers iPad Game created
by analytical Mechanics associates inc. is a
downloadable app designed to spark interest in the
space program among young children.
Photo by Eric Schultz.
it was only a matter of time and inspiration
before the incredible detail that is valued by
nasa and the department of defense met up
with the incredible realism required in the modern
gaming world. and huntsville’s graphics and
modeling and simulation guys just couldn’t help
themselves. The work they were doing for the
government was just too good to resist taking it
to a different level.
“i was looking at the sTeM (science, technology,
engineering and math) element of these creations,”
said Tim Pickens, dynetics commercial space
advisor and chief propulsion engineer. “The lunar
electric rover simulation was a perfect concept for
education outreach, so i said to Kenneth smith,
‘Let’s do a simple video game targeting fourth and
fifth-graders in which you launch from earth and
eventually land on the moon.’ ”
Called the rocket City space Pioneers iPad
Game and produced by aMa, it is now a downloadable
app for all ages, designed to spark interest in
the space program among young children.
The game is actually three games in one.
the first is called launcher, and players launch
their spacecraft from rocket City, dodging space
junk in order to get into orbit around the moon.
in the second game, called Lander, players guide
their landers to a safe touchdown on the moon’s
surface. Game three is called rover, and players
race their lunar rovers on the surface of the moon.
Players must also conquer many mission
challenges along the way.
The rocket City space Pioneers team is led by
members working at Dynetics, but is a joint effort
between Teledyne brown engineering, andrews
space, spaceflight services, Draper laboratory,
Moog, Pratt & Whitney rocketdyne, the
university of alabama in huntsville, the von
braun Center for science & innovation and the
huntsville Center for Technology.
The team’s primary mission is to win a $30
million Google Lunar X PriZe, an international
competition to safely land a robot on the surface
of the moon, travel 500 meters over the lunar
surface, and send images and data back to earth.
for its part, aMa has a number of mobile apps in
its portfolio. The Lookshare app for the blind and
GPs Lookaround app are both for commercial
use. shedMobile is for engineers only, and Pav
(Personal air vehicle) racing nasa Cup has
limited accessibility.
another huntsville company, aegis
Technologies, has considerable expertise in
nanotechnology modeling and simulation.
aegis provided 3d model content from its
in-house 3d elements Model Library for the
iPad military simulation game known as
armedforcehd, according to aegis business
development director Georgina Chapman. sold
16 | Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County 256.535.2000 | www.huntsvillealabamausa.com

MAKING SURE
AMERICA THE BEAUTIFUL
REMAINS AMERICA
THE FREE
© 2012 Lockheed Martin Corporation
THIS IS HOW
America will always be the land of the free. Because
it is the home of the brave men and women of our
military forces. Wherever they serve, on land, sea
or air, their courage is inspiring. Their commitment
to our nation and our way of life is unwavering. We
thank them – each and every one – for their service
and sacrifice.
www.lockheedmartin.com
www.huntsvillealabamausa.com | 256.535.2000 Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County | 17
0000277731-01
0000278344-01

18 | Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County 256.535.2000 | www.huntsvillealabamausa.com
0000267212-01
0000267213-01
n John Ottander, Tim Pickens, Ken smith
and stephen young play the new rocket
City space Pioneers game.
Photo by Eric Schultz.
and distributed on iTunes, the game is produced
by airborne Games LLC.
aegis’ 3d elements is a real-time library of 3d
models used by analysts for homeland defense
security applications. Optimized for the
simulation and training market, the models were
used previously in vbs2 game-based training
environments, but this was the first time they
were used in an iPad game application.
“We are very excited to be included in the
armedforcehd game,” said david King, aegis
vice president of simulation development.
“airborne Games was great to work with and
very knowledgeable in game theory and
techniques, making it helpful to our team.”
The quantity and quality of the military
models aegis has in the 3d elements library
provides a game company instant content
optimized for a real time environment.
“That makes it very attractive to a gaming
publisher,” said scott Passon, aegis director of
sales. “airborne leveraged the multiple levels of
details we provided, allowing them to fine-tune
game play performance. airborne also used
high-resolution models for still renderings and
lower levels of details in the real-time environment,
which saved them a lot of money during
their production phase.”
another homegrown gaming company,
gabriel interactive, was founded in 1999 by
seasoned game development professional

Michael root, who owns the firm with his wife,
dana. The company designs and produces
electronic video games for the mainstream
market. Michael, a veteran and a fan of the old
atari games, built a team of business professionals,
game developers, and designers who helped
launch his first commercial product.
some of Gabriel’s games are quite popular.
robot arena i and ii, stunt spectacular, ride!,
Carnival Cartoon and a John deere farm
simulation series are sold at Wal-Mart, Target,
best buy and staples. Gabriel has published
games under the atari (infogrammes), valusoft
and activision names.
in 2011, the company received $1.7 million
from the national Cancer institute for an
anti-smoking game for girls that is being
developed by dana root. The goal of the game
is to communicate the myths and dangers
associated with smoking to preteen girls in a
fun, interactive way. it is currently in field
testing trials, and she is pursuing a means to
get the new game and some of the company’s
existing educational games approved for
school curriculums.
“Currently, we are not producing mega-level
games,” dana said. “Ours are casual games that
are fun to play and affordable for kids.”
all Gabriel interactive games are PC-based,
but the firm is a registered XBox360 designer
and has licenses for nintendo and Wii. n
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• For over 65 years, Calhoun Community College has served the
community, providing educational and training opportunities across
north Alabama?
• With over 12,300 credit students, Calhoun remains Alabama’s largest
two-year college and the 6th largest higher education institution (twoyear
or four-year) in the state?
• Calhoun has the state’s first and only associate’s degree program in
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Low Cost
Lifestyle
BusiNEssEs aNd EmplOyEEs say THE
aREa is Easy ON THE wallET
By Anna Thibodeaux
according to the vice president and principal of
decibel, the huntsville/Madison County business
community enjoys close cooperation with elected
officials at local, state and national levels.
sally Colocho knows this firsthand. it is a
primary reason decibel research is in the
rocket City.
she also said area businesses have a good
understanding of when it is time to compete and
when it’s time to work together for the benefit of
the community.
Cost has certainly been another factor that’s
helped retain decibel, as well as many other
companies.
“Cost is now a significant driver in many of the
acquisitions in which we are involved,” Colocho
said. “With cost receiving more emphasis, it
means we have to closely evaluate our internal
cost structure to ensure we stay competitive.”
The huntsville area has earned national
recognition for its lower cost of living and lower
costs of doing business.
“Costs are still lower overall than many other
places of similar customer presence, especially
the national Capital region,” said Colocho.
“There is great support from the community,
the costs are still lower than many places, there is
a talented pool of employees, and significant
customers in the geographic region for both
government and commercial opportunities, all in a
beautiful and safe place to live and raise a family.”
Michelle Jordan, huntsville’s director of
economic development, said the city’s overall
cost of living is about 90 to 95 percent of the
u.s. average.
“Our greatest advantage is in housing costs,
which are about 80 percent of the national
average,” Jordan said.
n Cooperative local officials, good business relationships
and low costs make huntsville ideal for decibel
research. the firm’s board of directors is, from left,
eric Cochran, Jeff gronberg, earl reed, Keith Hardy,
dr. enrico Poggio and sally Colocho.
Photo by Michael Mercier.
That means a family selling a home somewhere
else and buying a house in the huntsville
region could save on average 20 percent. an
average home priced at $100,000 nationally
would cost $80,000 in Huntsville, compared to
$250,000 in Washington, d.C. This advantage
contributed to Cnn/Money naming huntsville
one of the nation’s most affordable communities
in 2010.
equally successful has been the huntsville
area’s impressive growth in its high-tech sector,
which has become a strong economic magnet.
that growth has benefited gurmej sandhu, who
launched sigmatech inc. in 1986 to build on a
career supporting nasa’s Marshall space flight
Center and the army research, development and
engineering Center.
“it is a great place to start a business,” sandhu
said. “Get involved in industry and government
22 | Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County 256.535.2000 | www.huntsvillealabamausa.com

organizations to meet people, learn the market
and establish a network.”
especially in today’s tough economy,
huntsville’s lower-cost edge has proven helpful to
the city’s startups, he said.
“There are resources available and you have
access to one of the world’s leading science and
technology business parks in Cummings research
Park,” said sandhu, also the company’s chairman.
“as a business startup, you have access to fortune
500 companies, u.s. space and defense agencies
and competitive higher education institutions
such as the university of alabama in huntsville.”
in recruiting new employees, sandhu said he
believes huntsville’s lower cost of living plays a
role because they see the differences in terms of
housing, commutes and quality of life.
in the past 50 years, this city in northern
alabama has evolved from a cotton capital to the
rocket City to a high-technology hub. The u.s.
army’s aviation and Missile Command is housed
in the nearby redstone arsenal, and the federal
government employs more than 8 percent of the
local workforce.
The city’s thriving engineering community and
tradition of innovation have made it an incubator
for tech entrepreneurs. this is especially significant
to Colocho’s company, which specializes in radar
systems and sensor technology advancements.
Their location positioned the company to provide
hands-on technology development engineering
support to customers at the Missile defense
agency (Mda), strategic Missile defense
Command (sMdC), Missile and space intelligence
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www.huntsvillealabamausa.com | 256.535.2000 Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County | 23
0000267216-01
0000268278-01

Center (MsiC) and the u.s. army aviation and
Missile research development and engineering
Center (aMrdeC), all based in the area.
“huntsville is a center for federal space, missile
and sensor work,” she said. “Those federal
organizations and agencies most in need of the
expertise we provide are located in huntsville.
being able to meet and work directly with our
customers and their supporting contractors on a
daily basis fosters excellent working relationships.”
in addition to customer access, huntsville
provides a highly educated and expertly skilled
employee base. When considering potential
locations for her business, Colocho said the choice
was easy.
“based on our experiences in the industry here,
there was never a thought of starting anyplace
else, though we have kept our eyes open for
opportunities to expand with branch offices in
other areas that would help us to support and
grow our customer base,” she said. “several of us
worked at other companies in the past that were
not based in Huntsville but had offices here.”
sandhu agrees the rocket City provided a
great environment to start and grow a small
business.
“Today, sigmatech is one of the most mature
government contracting small businesses in
huntsville, operating for over 25 years,” he said.
“There have been challenges, but we have
adapted to evolving economic and market
changes, varying growth phases and regulatory
requirements to expand services and provide
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Opportunity, according to Jordan, tops a list of
reasons businesses choose to start in the area.
They also include technology base, federal
aerospace and defense programs, a growing
population and strong economy. since 2005,
private businesses in the huntsville metro area
have grown by nearly 8 percent.
“This is a much higher growth rate than the
rest of alabama which, at less than 1 percent,
hardly grew at all during the same time frame,”
she said. “it is more on line with other centers of
technology like raleigh, n.C., and austin, Texas,
where companies are creating jobs through
innovation and the spinoff of new technology.”
alabama’s lower tax base and overall lower
rate of pay than many other areas have been
advantageous, too. Jordan said the area’s quality
of life and value, including a world-class research
park, government and university research, a
highly technical workforce and other key assets
turn the idea of “low cost into high value.”
Madison County’s entrepreneurial attitude,
success with business startups, mentoring and
small business programs have all also contributed
to the area’s growth.
anticipated business growth and expansion is
huntsville’s testimony to its nurturing business
environment. economic forecasts show
Huntsville continuing to benefit from the
activities at redstone arsenal and growth in
technology fields such as life sciences and
information technology, Jordan said.
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Moody’s has placed huntsville in its Top 10
nationally for risk-adjusted return, meaning the
outlook is positive as a place to make new
investments.
“however, we are always mindful of the role
and dependence we have on aerospace and
defense programs and their propensity to face
cycles of ups and downs,” Jordan said. “We are
continuing to work to diversify the economy and
bring in new industries and grow new businesses
even as we seek to grow activities at redstone.”
“We are expecting additional growth in 2012,
with growth projected on some of our existing
tasks and also with new work,” sandhu said.
“Geographically, in addition to huntsville, we
expect to add employees in the national Capital
region and Colorado springs, Colo.”
decibel also anticipates growth, further
supporting the Tennessee valley’s business-friendly
environment. While a quarter of the company’s
planned facility was completed in Cummings
research Park in 2009, plans are to expand.
“We are proud to announce that we will begin
work on this final portion of the building in april
and will have it ready for occupancy by October,”
Colocho said. “We are currently pursuing new
efforts in Huntsville to support Updated early
Warning radar at Mda, d3i (space, cyber and
missile defense technology) at sMdC and
several additional opportunities at aMrdeC and
MsiC (Missile and space intelligence Center)
that we hope will drive the need for the additional
space.” n
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n Kevin Mcghaw got a job offer and was
pleasantly surprised when he and his
wife rotrice made the trip from
Washington, d.C., to check out
huntsville. now the McGhaw family
are among the many newcomers to
the area. rotrice and Kevin McGhaw
stand behind their children,
Kaiya and Kevin Jr.
Photo by Bob Gathany.
A Balanced Place
NEw aRRiVals aRE impREssEd wiTH
wHaT THEy fiNd
By Diana LaChance
huntsville has earned an impressive array of
accolades over the years, including being named
by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance as one of the
country’s Top 10 Cities for raising families and by
Cnn/Money as one of the nation’s Most
affordable Cities.
huntsville has been atop the latter’s list of
one of america’s Top 25 Places to retire for the
past two years running. but people who move
to the huntsville/Madison County area often
find something extra beyond what the
accolades can convey, and they discover a fuller
understanding of exactly what these impressive
achievements mean.
Take it from aaron King, Kevin McGhaw and
becky Pillsbury, all of whom began their lives and
their careers elsewhere, but ended up relocating
to huntsville in recent years.
For aaron King, a former army officer and
West Point graduate, moving to huntsville
probably seemed like just another stop on the
military train.
“i’ve lived in san diego, indianapolis, Lawton,
West Point, and a dozen other cities and towns
around the united states,” he said.
but what he discovered when he got here was
a place like no other he’d lived. “i have found home
here in huntsville,” he said. “i can honestly say
there is no other place i would rather call home.”
King and his family, wife Kristen and
3-year-old daughter elizabeth, arrived in the
rocket City in July 2011. he had been recruited
for the position of director of transition for
huntsville City schools by superintendent dr.
Casey Wardynski to help with the “transformational
reform and system overhaul.”
despite holding a master’s degree in
educational leadership, King said, “i had
apprehensions, as anyone might.” Today, those
apprehensions have given way to pride at what
has been accomplished – “the district went from
$19.5 million in the red to over $3 million in the
black” – and optimism for the future.
“as a school system, we are on the move and
we’ll soon pass the rest of the state,” he said.
“We are looking to be the best school system in
the country, and that’s just one of our goals.”
King is quick to share credit, however. he said
that a lot of the success is due to the city
leadership’s support and involvement.
“i cannot tell you how many times i have had
the opportunity to sit and talk with the mayor,
city council, county commissioners and state
representatives. for most cities this size, that’s
26 | Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County 256.535.2000 | www.huntsvillealabamausa.com

unusual,” he said. “The best part is that they
actually listen and tend to make sound
judgments based on the best information
available. i cannot say enough good things
about the Chamber and our local businesses;
they are all working diligently to aid us in the
revamp of our schools.”
he added that the commitment among the
leadership extends to the community as a
whole. “i think huntsville’s leaders are doing a
fine job in making the city a great place to live,”
said King. “i’m impressed with the transparency
of the city’s officials, the police department
and the fire department, as well as our
elected leaders.”
he and his wife especially appreciate the city’s
“small-town feel,” he said, and spend many a
warm evening “taking walks in our neighborhood
and in general just spending time together.” in
short, said King, “i feel lucky to be in the position
i am in and even luckier to lay my head down in
one of the greatest cities in the united states:
huntsville, alabama.”
Like King, Kevin McGhaw is another recent
transplant. he, his wife rotrice, and two children
moved to Huntsville in the winter of 2008 when
he took a position at Marshall space flight
Center as legislative affairs specialist for nasa.
although he was excited about his new job
opportunity, he was less than enthusiastic about
the move it entailed.
“it wasn’t an anti-alabama stance,” he said.
“i just didn’t know anything about huntsville.
UAHuntsville offers certificate programsand short courses taught by leadingpractitionerswho mixtheory
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i had grown up in Washington, D.C., and figured
i’d grow old there and maybe move to Miami…
i didn’t know a soul here!”
it wasn’t until he received the job offer and he
and his wife came down to take a closer look at
huntsville that he realized what he’d be missing
out on by not moving. “We went to bridge street,
Jones valley – we loved it! Madison County,
huntsville, the whole region,” he said.
so he and his wife made an agreement: if
the city was able to meet their top three
criteria, they would move here. Those criteria:
a church home where they could feel like they
were part of a community, a school system
that would challenge their kids and a great
home in a great neighborhood where their kids
could play.
nearly five years later, the Mcghaw family
said they’re here to stay. “The things we’re
looking for in quality of life, we’ve found right
here,” said McGhaw.
That’s because the city has exceeded
McGhaw’s criteria. “The role that faith plays here
is very different from D.C., and for us that’s a huge
positive,” he said. “it speaks to the kind of environment
in which you want to raise your kids.”
On top of that, he feels safe here.
“There are so many families here – my son has
three friends within a 10-house radius, and three
of my daughter’s best friends live in the
neighborhood, so they can walk to their friends’
house and we’re more at ease about them
making it there,” he said.
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and for McGhaw and rotrice, there’s one
other noticeable improvement: Their commute
times. On a good day in d.C., it would take him
50 minutes to an hour to get to work. That meant
regularly missing his kids’ after-school activities.
“now i can coach my kid’s little league
football team,” he said. “i’m able to take the kids
to bible study and choir practice and saxophone
lessons.”
as for rotrice, she now works from home.
“That absolutely adds to our quality of life,”
said McGhaw.
McGhaw anticipates that quality will improve,
thanks to what he’s seen since becoming the
legislative affairs specialist.
“i work with the mayors of both Madison and
huntsville, as well as the county commissioner,
and they have a team approach to leadership,”
he said. “The borders aren’t as important to them
as improving the quality of life for the region. i
just can’t commend enough the way the three
have worked together in collaboration. They
collectively go to the state or d.C. to lobby for
resources because it’s best for the entire region
– that’s unique.”
some stores and restaurants close earlier at
night than in d.C., but McGhaw said that is a
small trade-off.
“yes, things do close a little early or don’t
open on sunday, but the people here want to
go to their kids’ games like i want to go to
mine,” he said. “and it’s that community
support, even among people who don’t have
kids, that makes the city such a great place to
raise a family.”
McGhaw suggests potential residents check
out the area for a day or two.
“if your job is relocating and you’re apprehensive,
just fly down and visit,” he said. “i suspect
you will leave with a very different perspective.”
That’s advice becky Pillsbury probably should
have taken before she and her husband, Jim,
decided to buy a retirement property in
Kentucky. as a military family, the Pillsburys had
lived all over the country, but had decided to
spend their sunset years on a golf course
residence they had purchased while Jim was
stationed in Kentucky.
Then in 2003, Lt. Gen. Pillsbury was promoted
to commander of redstone arsenal and the
army aviation and Missile Command.
“We were here for all of six months when Jim
looked at me and said ‘We’d better sell that
property in Kentucky and buy something here,’ ”
becky said. “and i said, ‘you’re absolutely right.’
it was that quick.”
becky wasn’t initially thrilled about the move
to northern alabama. for one thing, she didn’t
know much about it. her only exposure to
huntsville had been a short visit with her son and
daughter to the u.s. space and rocket Center
while Jim was deployed during the Gulf War.
for another thing, she and Jim had only
recently moved to Germany, where she said she
“still had so much to buy and see and do!” but
she put those unfulfilled aspirations aside for her
28 | Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County 256.535.2000 | www.huntsvillealabamausa.com

n Lt. Gen. (ret.) Jim Pillsbury, his wife, becky,
and daughter Katherine spend time at home
with their dogs, Pepper in the back and Trooper
in the front. The Pillsburys already had a r
etirement home purchased in Kentucky,
but once Jim was promoted to commander
of redstone arsenal, the family fell in love
with huntsville.
Photo by Dave Dieter.
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n Kristen, elizabeth and aaron King arrived in
huntsville in 2011. aaron says he has “found
home here in huntsville” after having lived in
over a dozen other cities and towns around
the united states.
Photo by Dave Dieter.
husband, who she said had no such qualms.
“Jim had been here many times before and
was so excited about coming here,” said becky.
“he knew the command was open and he was
just thrilled he’d been given the honor of
earning it.”
Once they got here, becky never looked back.
she was also particularly impressed with the level
of volunteerism among residents.
“it’s a city where people who come here want
to be involved and see what a marvelous place it
is and want to make it better,” she said. “This is a
town of fixers.”
a fixer herself, Becky and some colleagues
founded still serving veterans (ssv) in 2005, an
advocacy center for wounded or disabled
veterans which has brought $21 million back to
the tennessee Valley through benefits, jobs and
training. but as much as becky was growing to
love the city, the military had other plans for
the Pillsburys.
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after less than four years here, Jim received
another promotion, this time as deputy
commanding general of the army Materiel
Command (aMC), and the family moved up to
fort belvoir, outside of Washington, dC.
“When we were sent to d.C., we found out
they were moving the aMC to huntsville as part
of the 2005 base realignment and Closure,”
becky said, “so we were thrilled to know we
would be coming back.”
in the interim, the Pillsburys continued to stay
in touch with the friends they had made in huntsville.
becky also stayed active in ssv.
“i was still helping in d.C., with good access to
our state’s senators and congressmen,” she said.
Jim, meanwhile, traveled back and forth
regularly for work.
“and every time Jim would come back to
huntsville, he would bring someone with him,”
said becky. “and almost every one of them
ended up moving here!”
To those who had yet to make the visit, becky
said she would “describe huntsville as d.C.
without all the traffic, without all the people and
located in the bible belt. it’s got all the things you
want from a large town in a small town.”
by the time the Pillsburys themselves
returned in January 2011, they were ready to
stay. Jim officially retired that July and they
ended up settling just outside the huntsville city
limits on two acres right on the flint river. “
a dollar goes a lot further in huntsville than
it does in d.C.,” becky said. “you can travel 45
minutes out of town here and get 12 acres and a
house twice the size of the one you’d find for the
same price there.”
They also managed to entice their son and
daughter to settle here.
“it’s very unusual for military children to be in
the same town where their parents retire, but my
son ended up moving here, getting married and
becoming a lawyer, and my daughter moved
here after graduating from college and now
works here, too,” she said. “even my daughterin-law’s
sister moved here – it’s almost like we’re
starting our own community.”
What keeps them all here is easy for her to
describe.
“We love how diverse it is here, and that there
are people who are so different from each other,”
said becky. “We love the fact that we can see
broadway plays, but also go up to Monte sano
and see the city lights down below.”
The military community is also an important
component.
“We still love supporting the military, and we
still feel welcome to come and help with different
events on post, celebrating the promotions and
retirements,” she said.
Then there’s always the commute.
“When we would go to the theater in d.C., it
took about two and a half hours round trip,” she
said. “here, from the time we leave the theater
to the time we walk into the house, it takes 15
minutes. if that’s not quality of life, i don’t know
what is!” n
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n Lilly McKay harris, left, J.J. Gomez and
esther Martinez, all age 10, check out the
new laptops issued to Jill Cox’s fifth-grade
classroom at Chaffee elementary school.
Photo by Glenn Baeske.
Building Great Minds
sCHOOls dEliVER THE KiNd Of smaRT
sTudENTs aREa dEmaNds
By Deborah Bennick
no one in huntsville will blink if you say you
want to grow up to be a rocket scientist. after
all, this has been the home of rocket scientists
for decades.
Or maybe you want to pursue medical
research, or helicopter design, or weather, or
agriculture. how about robotics? With high-tech
jobs booming here, area schools and universities
constantly tweak and develop curricula to
help students prepare for careers in a cuttingedge
workforce.
among the latest moves on K-12 and
university campuses: integrating more technology
into classrooms, increasing the number of
advanced placement courses, making career
readiness programs accessible to more students,
and adding more graduate degree programs.
Local companies with international reputa-
tions embrace the schools on many levels,
whether it’s to help develop curriculum, involve
students in research, mentor interns, sponsor
competitions or offer volunteers as math tutors.
Well-developed cooperative education programs
give university students a head start on their
careers, and often a job at graduation.
students can be found building missiles on the
u.s. army’s redstone arsenal, designing
propulsion systems for the national aeronautics
and space administration, or studying genetics at
the hudsonalpha institute for biotechnology.
high school and college teams hone their design,
build and test skills in such competitions as the
Great international Moonbuggy race, nasa’s
discovery/new frontiers program or the firsT
LeGO League robotics contest.
in response to industry suggestions, the two
largest public school systems are revamping
career readiness programs as well as adding
college prep classes. high schools have engineering,
medical and construction academies, as well
as courses in modeling and simulation, computer
programming, genetic technologies, computer
networking and robotics.
“We are integrating career readiness into our
schools versus having a separate school for
career and technical education,” says huntsville
City schools superintendent dr. Casey
Wardynski. “We are also increasing the use of
technology within our curriculum for career/
technical education.”
Moving the classes out to high schools makes
them accessible to more students who can
graduate and go right to work for contractors
handling government projects.
32 | Chamber of CommerCe of huntsville / madison County 256.535.2000 | www.huntsvillealabamausa.com

“The programs that we moved out to the
schools have taken off,” says Ken Kubick, director
of personnel/pupil services for the Madison
County School System.
HUNTSVILLE CITY SCHOOLS
This system of about 23,000 students is going
wireless in all schools and issuing a netbook or
pad-style computer to every student in grades 5
through 12. Each fall the new fifth- and ninthgrade
classes are assigned the computers they
will carry for four years, with fifth-graders
switching machines when they get to ninth grade.
“There are so many resources that the
student can get through their computer, and
this puts it in their hands,” says Keith Ward,
system spokesman.
A couple months after getting the computers,
fifth-grade teacher Jill Cox reports a positive
response from her Chaffee Elementary School
students, who use them for most subjects. “Now
that we have them, I can’t imagine teaching
without them. It’s so much fun.”
Superintendent Wardynski says the system is
also focused on the Common Core Standards,
nationally developed standards that have been
adopted by the State of Alabama. “This is a key
focus, especially for children moving to Huntsville
from different areas … because they will hopefully
see consistency with curricula and standards from
where they moved.”
The system turns to business and industry
leaders and the universities to develop curricula,
particularly for its career-focused programs.
Special tracks focus on such expertise as
cyber-security, biomechanical systems engineering,
computer-aided design, robotics, digital
media and nursing. There are plans to add courses
in game technology, medical technology and
police/fire services.
The system includes seven high schools (one
an International Baccalaureate World School),
five magnet programs and preschool classes. For
17 years SchoolMatch has given it the “What
Parents Want” award, and Expansion Management
magazine ranks it among the top systems
in the nation.
In 2010, 84 percent of graduates continued
their education at post-secondary institutions and
41 percent earned scholarships, according to the
2009-2010 Annual Report.
Grissom High School regularly makes the list
of best high schools in America by Newsweek
Magazine. The Washington Post Challenge 2011
also tapped Grissom as one of the best. New
Century Technology High School is sixth on the
2011 list of “Most-Connected Classrooms” by
U.S. News & World Report.
MADISON COUNTY SCHOOL SYSTEM
The second-largest system in the county
serves more than 20,000 students in campuses
spread around the county, outside the city limits
of Huntsville and Madison.
The system is “continually ranked as one of
the best across the state of Alabama,” Kubik says.
The system embraces the Alabama Math, Science
and Technology Initiative and the Alabama
Reading Initiative.
Scores for national standardized tests are
“way above average,” according to Geraldine
Tibbs, director of communications and public
relations. Math and science teachers have
earned national “Teacher of the Year” acclaim,
and there is a Blue Ribbon School and three Blue
Ribbon Lighthouse Schools. Part of a larger U.S.
Dept. of Education effort to identify and
disseminate knowledge about best school
leadership and teaching practices, Blue Ribbon
Schools are recognized by the National Blue
Ribbon Schools Program as having students who
achieve at very high levels and/or where the
achievement gap is narrowing.
Engineering, medical and construction
academies set up at the high schools are staffed
with professionals who garnered years of
experience in their field before earning teaching
certificates, Kubik says.
Plenty of jobs in the Huntsville area require
skills on high-tech equipment without a college
degree. Career Technical Center classes let
students practice on the computerized machinery
they will use after graduation. Local companies
such as Brown Precision Inc. and Dixie Metalcraft
Corp. actively recruit graduates to work on
medical and aerospace machining for commercial
and government contracts, according to
instructor Jeff Breece.
MADISON CITY SCHOOLS
Topping 9,000 students, this system
established in 1998 achieves standardized test
scores for all grades tested that are above the
national average.
At the high school level, the emphasis on
career training helps students get an early start
through courses in engineering, biomedical
technology and health sciences. Students
interact with engineers and medical experts
through partnerships with such employers as
n The University of Alabama in Huntsville offers
various co-op programs in association with local
industry for its students, like this student working
at ADTRAN.
www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com | 256.535.2000 CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty | 33

n Victor Obadina researches the spectral
properties of glasses doped with metallic
particles at the Chambers Building on the
Alabama A&M University campus.
Photo by Glenn Baeske.

NASA, Raytheon, Miltec Corp., SAIC and local
hospitals.
“We are working to have every career
technical program end in a senior project or
internship, ” says Camille Wright, director of
secondary instruction. “Every student should
have two to three courses in a certain pathway”
by graduation.
The emphasis on professional fields pays off
come graduation time. In 2011, students were
offered $31 million in scholarships and 93 percent
of the graduates went on to two- or four-year
colleges, including four to military academies.
Newsweek magazine, The Washington Post
and U.S. News & World Report all routinely rank
Bob Jones High School as one of America’s best
high schools.
Recognizing that technology helps keep
students engaged, Superintendent Dr. Dee
Fowler says students in grades 7 through 12 are
encouraged to bring laptops, smart phones and
other devices to school.
Every classroom is networked with Internet
access, online resources and cable TV access.
The system’s use of advanced technology has
gained state and national recognition.
PRIVATE SHOOLS
Private schools encourage students to explore
ways they can give back to their community while
they pursue academic goals.
A Valley Fellowship Christian Academy team’s
water purification system won a NASA-sponsored
competition, but more importantly, it can be put
to use when the school does mission work in
South America’s Amazon region.
“We’re trying to instill in the students how they
can contribute to society,” says Patti Simon,
administrator for the school and president of the
Huntsville/Madison Private Schools Association.
“Science goes hand in hand with practical ways to
help the community.”
As well as participating in industry-sponsored
competitions, Simon says private schools enlist
parents to share their professional knowledge, as
two engineer fathers did during six-week teaching
stints at Valley Fellowship.
The independent and religiously affiliated
schools in the area serve ages pre-kindergarten
through high school. Information about individual
schools can be found on the Web site for the
private school association (www.huntsvillemadisonprivateschools.org).
Each spring the
association organizes a Parade of Schools, when
the schools are opened for tours.
The 50-year-old Randolph School serves
kindergarten through 12th grade with a college
preparatory curriculum. It has twice been named
a national School of Excellence by the U.S.
Department of Education.
Collaborations with the local arts community
and the University of Alabama in Huntsville
enhance the curriculum, while computer labs, a
wireless network and a laptop program for grades
8-12 put students in touch with technology.
On the west side of Huntsville, Madison
Academy offers an advanced placement
curriculum and dual enrollment with Calhoun
Community College and the University of
Alabama in Huntsville. Out-of-town trips expose
students to history, art, marine biology, and
academic and art competitions. An exchange
student program, mission trips and an emphasis
on community service provide new experiences.
n Madison County Career Technical center
student Landon Holman programs a
computer numeric control (CNC) machine.
Photo by Michael Mercier.
www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com | 256.535.2000 CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty | 35

COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES
Accredited colleges, universities and technical
schools in the area involve students and
professors in cutting-edge military, biotechnical
and scientific projects.
The University of Alabama in Huntsville
The University of Alabama in Huntsville’s
research expenditure increases regularly, with this
year’s $85 million going toward projects within
the individual colleges and in independent
research centers, laboratories and institutes.
Research focuses include applied optics,
information technology, modeling and simulation,
nano devices and space propulsion. The
atmospheric science department is ranked one of
the best in the nation.
Part of the University of Alabama system,
UAHuntsville’s five colleges – Engineering, Nursing,
Business Administration, Science and Liberal Arts
– serve around 7,700 students, about 1,600 of them
graduate level. The school offers 67 degree-granting
programs, and plans to add master’s degrees in
earth system science and integrated science,
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JEFF MORGAN
DISTRICT MANAGER
6241 University Drive • Suite B-1 • Huntsville, AL 35806
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technology, engineering and math.
UAHuntsville has one of the largest cooperative
education programs in the Southeast,
according to spokesman Ray Garner. Each year,
around 400 students spend time immersed in
their field of interest at such places as ADTRAN,
BellSouth, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and
Honda Manufacturing of Alabama.
Back in the classroom, student teams tackle
real-world problems put to them by corporations,
Army agencies and NASA. Mentors from the
agencies judge their work, Garner says.
For 2012, U.S. News & World Report ranks
UAHuntsville 190th on its list of 1,600 best
national universities and puts the engineering
school’s graduate program in the top 100. In other
accolades, the school has been named among
the best educational values by Consumer Digest
magazine, USA Today and Princeton Review.
Popular Science magazine named the
Propulsion Research Center the third “Most
Awesome Lab in 2011,” part of its “Best Places to
Pursue Science” feature. Further bolstering the
research reputation is The Carnegie Foundation
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for the Advancement of Technology, which
recently upgraded the school’s status by putting it
in the highest classification for research. This
category puts it in the top 3 percent of four-year
accredited public universities in the Untied States.
Alabama A&M University
Alabama A&M University spreads its
disciplines over five colleges: Agricultural, Life
and Natural Sciences; Arts and Sciences; Business
and Public Affairs; Education, Humanities and
Behavioral Sciences; and Engineering, Technology
and Physical Sciences. This land grant
university provides a variety of research facilities
for students and local industry to utilize, including
a wind tunnel and an agricultural research station.
Its programs for food science and safety, plant
and soil science, animal science and forestry
funnel students into other prominent fields in
Alabama, such as animal production, agriculture
and protection of forest resources.
The campus serves nearly 7,000 undergraduate
and graduate students, with most classes
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Oakwood University
Oakwood University is a historically black Seventh-Day Adventist
college that promotes compassionate Christian values while educating
students in 47 different programs, among them chemistry, math and
computer science, nursing and business. Students are regularly involved in
disaster relief and community work. U.S. News & World Report ranks
Oakwood as one of the best regional universities in the South.
Also located in Huntsville are Calhoun Community College, J.F. Drake
State Technical College, the University of Alabama at Birmingham’s
Huntsville Regional Medical Campus and Virginia College at Huntsville.
COMMUNITY COLLEGES
Calhoun Community College
Calhoun Community College’s three campuses offer 49 associate
degree programs and 52 career/certificate programs. The largest
two-year college in the state, Calhoun focuses on careers in the area,
with programs in nursing, aerospace technology, automation and
robotics, and biotechnology. It offers a pre-engineering degree to prepare
students who plan to transfer to a four-year institution to earn an
engineering degree.
The applied technology program offers a major in renewable energy
technology, including study of solar, wind and hydropower energy, so
students can pursue careers in the green energy workforce.
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Calhoun serves more than 12,000 students and has a cooperative
education program.
J.F. Drake State Technical College
J.F. Drake State Technical College works closely with local industry,
offering training for current and future employees. Business, engineering,
manufacturing and applied technology, health sciences, salon management
and culinary arts/hospitality services departments prepare students to enter
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Body & Mind
YOUR HEALTH CARE IS IN GOOD HANDS HERE
By Kimberly Ballard
With two first-rate regional medical centers, a
groundbreaking cancer treatment/research
center and a world-class biomedical industry
growing out of the HudsonAlpha Institute for
Biotechnology, Huntsville beats five of six
comparable technology communities in
city-to-city comparisons of key consumer costs in
healthcare.
According to the American Chamber of
Commerce Research Association’s Cost of Living
Index, Huntsville costs are lower than Austin,
Texas; Charlotte, N.C.; Raleigh, N.C.; Richmond,
Va.; and San Jose, Calif.
Newcomers to Huntsville who are concerned
about replacing trusted doctors and reliable
medical care for existing health conditions and
problems that may later arise can put their body
and mind at ease. For those who need reassur-
ance about quality care and living arrangements
for aging parents or family members, Huntsville
offers sweeping options in assisted living,
rehabilitation and in-home elderly care.
Or, if you are anxious about access to
alternative medical techniques and services,
specialized women’s health care or comprehensive
options for aesthetic and personal care
services, worry no more.
REGIONAL MEDICAL CENTERS
According to Pam Hudson, CEO of Crestwood
Medical Center, the Huntsville area is fortunate to
have so many options for most any health care
need.
“The competitive environment of health care
and the broad spectrum of specialties available in
our community results in state-of-the-art care for
n A Crestwood Medical Center surgical team
works with equipment. Crestwood CEO
Pam Hudson says Huntsville is fortunate to
have so many healthcare options.
Photo by Eric Schultz.
patients,” Hudson said. “This is what Crestwood’s
mission is all about − a passionate and skilled
team serving our community by providing quality
care and service excellence for all patients and
their families who choose our hospital.”
Anyone considering Huntsville/Madison
County as a place to live or work shouldn’t be
concerned about access to quality health care,
said David Spillers, CEO of Huntsville Hospital,
Alabama’s second largest hospital system.
“We are very blessed to have advanced
services and highly trained physicians that you
wouldn’t usually find in a community our size,”
he said.
Spillers said one reason for this benefit is that
Huntsville Hospital has grown from a local
hospital to a regional facility serving all of the
Tennessee Valley.
38 | CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty 256.535.2000 | www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com

“We are still community owned, but we have
seen our community and our service area expand
in recent years,” he said.
Huntsville Hospital Health System today
includes hospital affiliates in neighboring
communities in Athens, Decatur and Sheffield,
as well the new Madison Hospital, which opened
in February.
Recognized by Blue Cross Blue Shield as a
“Tier 1” hospital, Crestwood Medical Center is
designated a Blue Distinction Center for bariatric
surgery, knee and hip replacement and spine
surgery, and as a Center of Excellence for
bariatric surgery.
The recent renovation of Crestwood’s new
maternity center provides mothers and their
newborns the most advanced environment for
labor and delivery available anywhere. It
features Labor, Delivery, Recovery and
Postpartum (LDRP) rooms, which allow the
patient to remain in one room throughout all
four phases of the birthing process. LDRP rooms
permit a more stable environment for mother
and child, while leaving plenty of room for
visiting family members and guests.
Also, Crestwood Medical Center recently
acquired Robotic Assisted Surgery capabilities.
“I am pleased that we have been able to
acquire the da Vinci Robot, affectionately known
as ‘Rosie,’” said Susan Bryce, Crestwood’s
assistant chief nursing officer and director of
perioperative services. “This acquisition further
expands the ability of our surgeons to provide a
level of technology that helps to keep our patients
closer to home when the robotic technology is
the best option for our patients.”
The da Vinci is the perfect case of less being
more − less invasive, less bleeding, less pain, less
scarring − all benefits that translate into quicker
recovery times.
Huntsville Hospital is likewise focused on
quality care and excellent service.
“Just recently, Huntsville Hospital was ranked
No. 1 in heart surgery in Alabama for 2012,
according to Healthgrades,” Spillers said.
In addition, Huntsville Hospital for Women &
Children is one of three pediatric hospitals in
Alabama, and more babies are delivered there
than any other facility in the state. Huntsville
Hospital also serves as the region’s trauma center.
“All things considered, our community stands
out in the Southeast and nationally,” Spillers said.
“And one of the reasons is the availability of excellent
health care services.”
CANCER TREATMENT AND RESEARCH
The significance of Clearview Cancer
Institute’s research and Phase I clinical trials
cannot be overstated. Their commitment to
research involves an integrated cancer treatment
program that includes medical oncology
and hematology (study of blood), radiation
oncology and gynecologic oncology. Treating
more than 350 patients a day, Clearview has a
staff of 14 physicians located in the
115,000-square-foot facility.
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“It is extremely important for cancer patients
who move to Huntsville to know that if you are
out of options or seeking another opinion,
Clearview provides Phase I clinical trials that offer
promising new cancer treatments not yet
available for general use,” said Leslie Vallely,
Clearview public relations director and a breast
cancer survivor.
After more than 25 years of cancer research,
Clearview is responsible for more than 30
scientific breakthroughs of new FDA-approved
cancer fighting treatments. Those include
Herceptin for breast cancer; Gleevec for Chronic
Myeloid Leukemia; Rituxan for lymphomas;
Avastin for colon and lung cancers; and Gemzar
for pancreatic cancer.
Clearview also offers Phase I–IV interventional
treatments and diagnostic research in outpatient
settings. Additional services include imaging, full
laboratory services, genetic counseling and
education and supportive care services.
FAMILY WELLNESS
In support of Huntsville’s critical care facilities,
Huntsville has a wide range of family care and
specialty services available. Family walk-in clinics
and urgent care centers scattered across the city
provide on-the-spot doctor’s attention as an
alternative to emergency room visits.
Several women’s health facilities provide
friendly, comfortable environments where the
staff members know their patients by name, and
women feel free to discuss female issues with
someone who listens and understands. From
obstetrics with 3D ultrasound capability to full
gynecological concerns like menopause and
menopause-related problems, adolescent
gynecology, birth control, pelvic screening and
childbearing advice, Huntsville offers the finest in
women’s health.
Back and neck pain sufferers will find comfort
in several experienced chiropractic specialists in
the Huntsville area. Providing non-surgical,
evidence-based alternatives to back and neck
pain, chiropractic care now has a symbiotic
relationship with physicians. Huntsville chiropractic
professionals use cutting-edge techniques
including research-based decompression therapy
to ease disc pain; the McKenzie exercise and
physical therapy method; popular active-release,
movement-based soft tissue massage; and simple
adjustments for joint pain.
If you prefer holistic or alternative forms of
medical care, Huntsville residents will find
herbal-based medicine, acupuncture for pain relief,
as well as health food stores and organic markets
with products that promote natural healing.
PERSONAL CARE
When it comes to extreme personal makeovers
for health, wellness, anti-aging and
aesthetics, Huntsville provides one of only two
fully integrated spa, salon, ambulatory cosmetic
surgery and aesthetic dentistry clinics in the
United States.
Huntsville has full cosmetic surgery centers
where SmartLipo procedures remove love
handles, leg fat and flab from your arms;
tummy-tucks, face-lifts and procedures to make
you look 10 years younger.
Huntsville residents have access to the most
advanced aesthetic procedures as well, including
CO2 fractional laser resurfacing and total face
rejuvenation, full mouth reconstruction, implants,
veneers, root canals, teeth bleaching treatments
and a full range of salon services, weight-loss
programs, skin care products, facials, massage,
chemical peels, laser hair removal, fillers and
injectables, manicures and pedicures.
Because nutrition is tied in every way to
disease prevention and management, Huntsville
has licensed registered dieticians who work
closely with doctors, hospitals, local gyms and the
school system to show patients and consumers
how their nutritional intake can change the way
they feel, and even affect medical diagnoses.
Susan Scott, a licensed registered dietician
and owner of SCS Nutrition One of Huntsville, has
written a children’s cooking program called
“Know What’s Cooking,” and is currently
promoting it to educate children about what they
are eating and how to cook it.
“I recently saw a child about 6 years old
looking at the bell peppers in the grocery produce
department,” Scott said. “She asked her mom
whether they could buy one so she could taste it.
It was distressing to watch the parent dismiss her
interest in fresh, healthy vegetables, when at the
checkout, I saw her allow the child a candy bar.
Those are the behaviors I wish I could change.”
CARE FOR THE AGING
According to CNNMoney.com, Huntsville is
one of the nation’s Leading Places to Retire.
Many families relocate their aging relatives
when they move, and here they find a broad
selection of options.
Faith-based continuing care retirement
communities (CCRC) with independent apartments
are available for spry seniors. Assisted-living
units aid those who need some help, memory-care
facilities serve Alzheimer’s patients and facilities
with skilled care help those who need it.
The life care CCRC concept and its tax
advantages are positive and affordable.
Huntsville also offers transitional care and
rehabilitation facilities for people recovering
from surgery, recuperating after a stroke or a
heart attack or healing from a broken hip. With
plenty of physical, occupational, and speech
therapy, wound care, and respiratory care
services available in the city, stronger elderly
citizens with few if any medical problems may
consider an in-home personal care professional
or companion.
Home care professionals do not provide
medical assistance, but run errands, care for pets,
prevent clients from being injured and help them
bathe, cook, eat and deal with incontinence
issues if necessary.
Also, several area hospice facilities provide loving
end-of-life care. n
40 | CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty 256.535.2000 | www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com

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Walter Baker, George
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0000265276-01

Federal City
REDSTONE ARSENAL VITAL TO THE
NATION’S SECURITY
By Anna Thibodeaux
With nearly 35,000 workers, Redstone Arsenal
has evolved into a multi-faceted, multi-functional
cluster of organizations serving as one of the U.S.
Army’s most extensive facilities and a major
economic generator for the Tennessee Valley.
Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle readily calls
Redstone Arsenal the area’s major economic
driver, bolstered by $60 billion annually
running through the arsenal. Of this total,
nearly $12 billion boosts the area economy in
payroll and products.
Redstone Arsenal has translated into jobs and
innovation, and is the reason the Rocket City “has
more engineers per capita than anywhere in the
U.S.,” Battle said. Additionally, he said gaining
the Army’s four-star command made Huntsville
much more important strategically, resulting in
the staffing of 12 general officers at the arsenal.
The move has given Huntsville more presence
with the military, especially the U.S. Army Space
and Missile Defense Command (SMDC). It has
also generated income that drives local
businesses and is the reason many people and
businesses locate in the area. More than 450
aerospace and defense contracting companies
are located here, according to the Chamber of
Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County. Many
of these companies perform technology research
and development in support of arsenal activities.
Redstone Arsenal employs more than 15,000
contractors in direct support of its daily
operations. The sizeable pool of technical
expertise, maintained through aerospace and
defense contracts, helps provide the Huntsville
community with the highest concentration of
engineers in the country and is vital to supporting
n Redstone Arsenal has nearly 35,000
workers and pumps nearly $12 billion
into the area economy annually.
Photo by Eric Schultz.
the Department of Defense and NASA contract
programs, as well as many other commercial
technology applications.
Cummings Research Park (CRP) provides
Redstone Arsenal’s Department of Defense,
Army, NASA and Department of Justice
organizations with critical support in engineering,
science and other core technical areas. CRP
began as a public-private initiative and the park
has become a symbol for the “synergistic
growth” of the Tennessee Valley. The park
continues to attract and retain the world’s major
technology and research development companies
to support customers, many with activities
based on Redstone Arsenal.
Col. John S. Hamilton, commander of the
U.S. Army Garrison-Redstone Arsenal, said the
relationship is symbiotic.
42 | CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty 256.535.2000 | www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com

“Team Redstone is very proud of the
contributions provided through the skill, energy
and ingenuity of the Redstone Arsenal workforce,
who come to us from all over the
Tennessee Valley,” Hamilton said.
The combined workforce salary for military,
government civilians and on-site contractors is
about $3.1 billion a year. Of the $9.8 billion
Alabama receives in federal dollars, Redstone
Arsenal receives $5.8 billion of it. Redstone
Arsenal’s role in the Army has considerable
potential for growth as the nation relies more on
science and technology for advantage on the
battlefield. This role can also grow as the
installation’s efforts impact the civilian world,
similar to the Army’s development in the late
1960s of a Cold War communications network
that grew into what is now the Internet. A
continued investment in science, technology,
research, development and testing can be
transformational and better the nation and U.S.
capabilities.
As an installation, Hamilton said Redstone
Arsenal is unique.
“Engineering and science remain the primary
skill sets required for the ongoing research and
development in rockets, missiles, aviation and
other very technical disciplines on Redstone
Arsenal,” he said. “The transformational
synergies created through adding new organizations
and their functions are truly extraordinary.”
The synergies are translating into impressive
growth opportunities for an entrepreneur,
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How Redstone ARsenAl gRew into A
MAjoR FedeRAl CoMplex
BRAC 1988: Gained Central Test Measurement & Diagnostic Equipment (TMDE) Activity from
Lexington-Bluegrass Army Depot
BRAC 1991: Gained Armament, Munitions & Chemical Command (AMCCOM) from Rock
Island, Material Readiness Support Activity from Lexington-Blue Grass Army
Depot (was slated for Letterkenny in BRAC 1988) and Logistics Control Activity
from Presidio (later became LOGSA)
BRAC 1993: Reversed the decision to move AMCOM from Rock Island to Redstone Arsenal
BRAC 1995: Gained the Aviation mission component of the Aviation & Troop Command,
Aviation Research & Development Center, and PEO Aviation from St. Louis, Mo.,
and merged with Missile Command, Missile RDEC and formed AMCOM and
AMRDEC
BRAC 2005: Gained the headquarters of Army Materiel Command, U.S. Army Space & Missile
Defense Command and U.S. Army Security Assistance Command, and gained the
Missile Defense Agency, Redstone Test Center, Second Recruiting Brigade and
Second Medical Recruiting Battalion.
Total Redstone Arsenal workforce population has increased from about 24,500 in 2004 to about
35,000 today.
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www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com | 256.535.2000 CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty | 43

0000266628-01
0000265153-01
n Helicopters await evaluation at the
U.S. Army Test and Evaluation
Command’s Rotary Wing Center on
Redstone Arsenal.
Photo by Michael Mercier.
especially in the fields of science and engineering,
and also logistics and management. The Aviation
and Missile Command (AMCOM) Ombudsman
Office fields inquiries from businesses interested
in conducting business with AMCOM.
Overall, Redstone Arsenal provides full-spectrum
support to the nation’s defense from
ballistic missile defense to space operations, to
research and development, to test and
evaluation, to logistics and acquisition centers,
to foreign military sales and soldier recruitment
for the Army. The installation has transformed
from one of the Army’s best-kept secrets, in
terms of locations to be stationed, to a national
center of gravity of great strategic importance to
the country.
Compared to similar installations in
landmass, Redstone Arsenal activities can be
best compared to Aberdeen Proving Ground
(APG), Md., or Rock Island Arsenal, Ill. Redstone
Arsenal is about 38,125 acres while Aberdeen
Proving Ground is about 72,000 acres (35,000
acres of land and 37,000 acres of water) and
Rock Island is about 1,000 acres. Additionally,
Redstone Arsenal maintains more than 35,000
employees compared to Aberdeen Proving
Ground with more than 22,000 and Rock Island
at 7,000.
Better described as a federal office park,
the arsenal is not a heavy troop installation
such as forts Stewart, Hood or Bragg.
Redstone retains fewer than 1,000 soldiers in
uniform, who are mostly senior officers and
non-commissioned officers. The arsenal
workforce is already dominated by Department
of Defense/Department of the Army
civilians and contractors. Engineers, scientists,
logisticians and contract-acquisition personnel
are required to support Redstone Arsenal’s
ongoing research and development, space
operations, materiel management and
homeland defense missions.
44 | CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty 256.535.2000 | www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com

The arsenal is also home to more than
55 major organizations. They represent a
significant contribution towards supporting
U.S. national security. Generally, these
organizations support five key operations:
materiel management and acquisition; space
operations and missile defense; intelligence
and homeland defense; research, development,
test and evaluation; and sustainment of
Redstone Arsenal activities.
“Huntsville’s Marshall Space Flight Center
and Redstone Arsenal play an important role
in our national discussion on technology and
defense, and its successes are highly respected
in Washington, D.C.,” said U.S. Rep. Robert
Aderholt, R-Ala. “Redstone has a long-proven
track record of creativity, talent and efficiency
that is an example to other government entities
throughout the South. Whether it be AMCOM,
SMDC or MDA, Huntsville is playing as large a
role in our nation’s security as any other region
in America.”
With the 2005 BRAC, (military base realignment
and closure), Redstone Arsenal was
positively impacted, as it was in previous BRAC
decisions. New organizations transitioning to
Redstone Arsenal as a result of BRAC 2005
directives include the Army Materiel Command
(AMC) headquarters, Army Security Assistance
Command (USASAC) headquarters, SMDC
headquarters, Second Recruiting Brigade and
Second Medical Recruiting Battalion.
Additionally, BRAC law significantly expanded
the presence of the Missile Defense Agency
(MDA) on Redstone Arsenal and merged the
Aviation component of the Redstone Test Center
(RTC) from Fort Rucker, Ala., to Redstone
Arsenal. Although not part of BRAC law but
attributable to BRAC actions, the Army recently
moved the Army Contracting Command (ACC)
and the Expeditionary Contracting Command
0000279482-01
Brian Bellomy, Agent
7910 S. Memorial Pkwy., Suite D
Huntsville, AL 35802
(256) 539-7530 • www.brianbellomy.com
Family is why
we do it all.
PO Box 1085
Athens, AL 35612
Offi ce: 256.280-4600
Fax: 256-280-4601
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Helping you meet your insurance needs is part of my
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(ECC) to Redstone Arsenal. Call to subscribe 256.532.4444 or log on to www.huntsvilletimes.com
www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com | 256.535.2000 CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty | 45
0000278876-01
0000277913-01
INFORMATION YOU CAN DEPEND ON

n Above, the lobby of the new Von Braun III
complex at Redstone Arsenal includes a
display of Huntsville-based space pioneer
Dr. Wernher von Braun’s desk.
n At right, U.S. Army Astronaut Col. Shane
Kimbrough visits officers at the Program
Executive Office for Aviation on the
arsenal to recruit them as Army
astronauts.
n Below, the Boeing Co. transports a
Ground-based Midcourse Defense
training interceptor on I-565 on its way to
the arsenal.
Photos by Eric Schultz.
46 | CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty 256.535.2000 | www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com

n Rick Ward & Company performs
at the annual Blues, Brews & BBQ
on Redstone Arsenal as the crowd
stays cool under umbrellas.
Photo by Bob Gathany.
It also brought AMC’s commander, Gen. Ann
Dunwoody, the first four-star general to be
assigned to Redstone Arsenal. BRAC funding
for all construction projects on the arsenal
amounted to about $426 million, and BRAC
operations funding totaled about $422 million.
However, the base realignment is not the
only contributor to growth on Redstone
Arsenal and in the Tennessee Valley. Redstone
Arsenal is adding non-Department of Defense
organizations. Among them are the Federal
Bureau of Investigation and the Bureau of Alcohol,
Tobacco, Firearms and Explosives. Despite
this growth, the arsenal continues to maintain
a large number of buildable acres on the
installation, allowing for additional growth.
Redstone Arsenal’s history sets it apart as
a distinctive military installation, marking its
beginnings at the outset of World War II as a
chemical munitions manufacturing and storage
complex supporting our soldiers overseas. The
arsenal’s original mission was changed forever
when Dr. Wernher von Braun and his team of
scientists arrived after the war to continue
their research on rockets. Army Gen. Holgar
Toftoy, Gen. John Medaris and von Braun were
essential to the early successes of the nation’s
rocket programs.
Redstone Arsenal grew in its importance
when President Dwight Eisenhower established
NASA in 1958. The arsenal emerged
as a recognized leader in science, engineering,
research and development in rocket, missile
and aviation programs.
Since that time, the unique synergies
created among the arsenal’s many different
organizations have provided valuable contributions
to the nation’s defense and the area’s
economy.
“We’ll continue to grow,” Mayor Battle said.
“We’ve successfully been through two BRACs
and will see consolidation. We work hand-inglove
with our arsenal.” n
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•Approximately 144,000 s.f. high bay and offi ce space
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• Ample Power for manufacturing and distribution
• Easy access to I-565 and Gate 7 of Redstone Arsenal
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Copyright © 2009 ADTRAN Inc. All rights reserved. ADTRAN and NetVanta are registered trademarks of ADTRAN, Inc.
www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com | 256.535.2000 CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty | 47
0000278078-01
0000267052-01

we Can do it
CUMMINGS RESEARCH PARk, A CENTER OF
TECHNICAL CREATIVITY
By LeAnne Letize McGee
Celebrating its 50th anniversary this year is
Huntsville’s vibrant and ever-growing hub for
technology, research and development,
Cummings Research Park.
Boasting close to 300 businesses and 25,000
employees, CRP is the second largest research
park in the country and the fourth largest in the
world. CRP’s well-established companies and
new companies alike work hard to devise
innovative solutions to complex problems,
develop state-of-the-art technology to manage
complex systems and make ground-breaking
biotechnology discoveries. It is no wonder that
Huntsville was recently named one of Forbes
Top 20 Leading Metros for Business, and one of
fDi magazine’s Top 5 Small Cities of the Future in
North & South America.
Started in 1962 as a way to keep government
contracting firms close to their clients at
Redstone Arsenal, CRP was created by Milton
Cummings, then president of Brown Engineering
(now Teledyne Brown Engineering Inc.), and his
vice president Joseph C. Moquin. What Cummings
and Moquin began with just 382 acres has
grown over the years into 3,843 acres with two
sprawling sections divided by the busy thoroughfare
Research Boulevard.
Today, companies looking to relocate or
expand in CRP can choose from a full 500 acres
and 90,000-100,000 square feet of office space at
any given time.
Growing businesses in Huntsville is not just
good for CRP but is good for the whole community,
said John Southerland, CRP’s director at the
Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison
County. “What this means for Huntsville is more
jobs, more high-tech jobs, more high-paying
jobs.” These high-tech jobs also bring other jobs
n Founded in Huntsville, ADTRAN is now a
leading global provider of networking and
communications equipment and employs
1,700 people. The firm has been named
Alabama’s Large Manufacturer of the Year.
Photo by Dave Dieter.
in the community to support those workers, such
as bankers, retailers, restaurants and more, said
Southerland. “So the spin-off of all of that is
continued growth in the community, and it’s the
right kind of growth, very educated, highly-technical,
highly-skilled workforce – we want to bring
in these people who can benefit everyone in the
community,” he said.
As a model for transforming research into
business success, CRP is restricted to technology
industries, which means its workforce is very
educated, highly technical, and highly skilled.
Huntsville’s concentration of high-tech
workers is second in the nation only to San
Jose’s Silicon Valley, according to the TechAmerica
Foundation, and the area was recently
recognized as one of the country’s leading
“Hotbeds for High-Tech Growth” by AreaDevelopment
magazine.
48 | CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty 256.535.2000 | www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com

Pairing these high-tech professionals with
CRP’s award-winning research centers and
acclaimed academic institutions creates high
visibility and fosters collaboration between all
CRP tenants, causing what Southerland calls a
“natural synergy” at the park.
“We have an amazing skill set out there in
the park, everything from some of the world’s
leading biotechnology and research scientists,
to software engineer developers, to pioneers
in modeling and simulation,” he said. “Getting
all of these talented people together gives this
community a gathering of intellectual
capability that you just do not find in other
parts of the country.”
Becoming part of CRP is an ideal choice for
technology-based businesses. In addition to the
thriving intellectual environment that fosters
innovation, and the proximity to the park’s other
major players, CRP has a multitude of perks. It
is centrally located within a community that is
consistently ranked as one of the top places in
the country to work, raise a family and retire.
It is less than five minutes from the Redstone
Arsenal, 10 minutes to the Huntsville International
Airport, and it has easy access to all of
Huntsville’s major roads. It has a great physical
infrastructure and design that makes travel
within the park easy.
It has beautiful greenways and walking trails,
and includes Bridge Street Town Centre, which
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provides a variety of dining, retail and entertainment
options as well as hotel accommodations.
Most of the work coming out of CRP has
historically been done by high-tech contracting
firms that provide defense and aerospace
support to Redstone Arsenal tenants such as
the Department of Defense, the U.S. Army and
NASA – winning Huntsville its recent ranking as
the nation’s third largest aerospace and defense
manufacturing hub by Business Facilities
magazine – but CRP also includes research
centers, biotechnical companies, academic
institutions and commercial-sector companies.
CRP’s rich diversity has contributed to its
success, as evidenced by Huntsville making the
USA Today Top 5 List of Communities Leading
the Economic Recovery and its designation by
Milkin Institute as one of the 10 Best Performing
Cities in the Country for its creation and
sustainment of American jobs.
Though the various companies at CRP are
diverse in their offerings, Southerland said they
all share the same entrepreneurial vision.
“The great thing about Cummings is that it is
a place where the entrepreneurial spirit is
cultivated,” he said. “It is a great combination of
very smart people coming together and creating
or developing an idea, or creating a product or
new service, and then it grows from there.”
The list of CRP companies that have enjoyed
such growth is huge, but as a sampling Southerland
names a few: ADTRAN Inc., AEgis Technologies
n Cummings Research Park is the engine
for Huntsville’s high-tech jobs that grow
other businesses such as banks, retailers
and restaurants, said John Southerland,
CRP director.
Photo by Eric Schultz.
Group Inc., and LogiCore Corp.
ADTRAN was founded in Huntsville in 1986
and is a leading global provider of networking
and communications equipment. Taking the
spot as the cornerstone building at the center
of the western portion of the park, ADTRAN
has 1,700 employees, was named Alabama’s
Large Manufacturer of the Year, and holds
more patents than any large corporation
headquartered in Alabama.
ADTRAN continues to celebrate record
revenue quarter after quarter, and is continuing
to add to its workforce, thanks to its forwardthinking
philosophy and the fact that it is not
dependent on the federal budget for aerospace
or defense, said Southerland.
“That is the kind of diversification in the
industry we love,” he said.
AEgis is a rapidly-growing company that
specializes in cutting-edge modeling and
simulation and micro/nanoscale technology
development. It was co-founded by Steve Hill
in Huntsville in 1989.
“AEgis is an industry leader in the world of
modeling and simulation. It is exceptionally
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high-tech and they are about as cutting-edge
as it gets,” said Southerland.
And there is no place AEgis would rather be
than at CRP.
“It is great to be co-located with lots of
teammates and industry partners, and (the park)
has a great IT infrastructure for high-tech
business,” said Hill. “Also, the excellent reputation
(of CRP) is helpful for people knowing about the
park and where we are.”
LogiCore Corp. was founded in Huntsville in
2002 by Miranda Bouldin and is a technology
services and solutions company that provides
engineering and technical support services to the
federal government, primarily in defense.
It has 150 employees in four states and in
several countries. Having just moved to CRP in
2011, LogiCore has seen so much growth that it
plans to build a new 35,000-square-foot building
in the park. This is just the sort of growth
Southerland likes to see at CRP.
“It’s just great to see small local companies
growing,” he said. “It shows you that you can be
a big company and grow and prosper here, like
Boeing, like Lockheed Martin, or you can be an
entrepreneur here and start your own company
and grow it.”
Bouldin cannot say enough about the benefits
of being in CRP.
“The reason we moved over here is because
it is a great central location for our customers,
we are right around the corner from Redstone
Arsenal, it has great visibility for the current prime
contractors we work with, such as SAIC, AEgis,
Dynetics, and it was just really a convenient area
for us to be in based on where our customers are
located,” she said.
She encourages new businesses to make CRP
their home.
“It is a great area for entrepreneurs to move
in, primarily because it gives you credibility and it
shows you are committed to your business,” she
said. “Moving out here said, ‘I am in this business,
I am committed to growing my business, and I
want to be amongst the other industry partners
that can help me to grow my business.’”
Huntsville is famous for its history with the
space flight industry, which began more than 50
years ago with the creation of the Marshall Space
Flight Center. And although NASA has recently
seen changes to its programs, 2012 is still an
exciting year for aerospace in Huntsville and CRP,
said Southerland.
This is thanks to two new commercial space
flight programs, the Stratolaunch and Sierra
Nevada Corp.’s Dream Chaser, as well as NASA’s
heavy-lift vehicle program.
“We have several different things that are
going on here now that are involving manned
and unmanned spacecraft, government and
commercial, which opens up a world of opportunities
and possibilities that were not here just a
year ago,” Southerland said.
Stratolaunch is a partnership between
Microsoft cofounder Paul G. Allen, and Dynetics,
one of CRP’s pinnacle aerospace engineering
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n LogiCore Corp. holds a
ribbon-cutting at its
headquarters at Cummings
Research Park. Founded in
2002, the company has 150
employees in four states and
is planning to build a new
building at CRP.
Photo by Bob Gathany.
companies, to create a massive one-of-a-kind
airplane that will launch rockets bearing mediumsized
payloads into orbit. It will be headquartered
in Dynetics’ new 226,500-square-foot, state-ofthe-art
building that opened in April 2012.
Sierra Nevada has an office in CRP and will
be working with NASA to use the orbital crew
vehicle called the Dream Chaser to develop the
capability to transport astronauts and cargo to
the International Space Station. The Dream
Chaser will undergo wind tunnel tests at
Marshall, and Marshall will provide engineering
support and data processing.
Meanwhile, NASA will be moving forward
with the Space Launch System that replaces
the Constellation program and will provide a
heavy-lift vehicle for human space exploration.
While defense and aerospace contractors
make up a large portion of CRP companies and are
responsible for its cutting-edge technology and
systems, equally as impressive is the extremely
fast-growing industry of biotechnology.
It began booming when in 2008 the Hudson-
Alpha Institute for Biotechnology opened on the
western side of CRP on the park’s 150-acre
biotech campus. The Institute has become a
world leader in biotechnology and the work it is
doing is phenomenal, said Southerland.
“There is a bright future there at Hudson-
Alpha,” he said. “Most of the companies there
are fairly small and growing; they are doing some
amazing things and are growing very quickly.”
The Institute is split into two sections, with
one side of its landmark building being used by
for-profit businesses and the other side reserved
for researchers. The building was designed to
facilitate collaboration between the two sides.
The Institute is clearly a world leader in biotechnology.
“If you look at the area where the United
States is still leading the pack globally – it is
biotechnology, especially the study of the human
genome,” said Southerland.
“It is very open air with a lot of light and glass,
and they share all of this common space where
people can converge and chit-chat,” Southerland
said. “Common areas were strategically designed
to facilitate discussion and collaboration among
the research, science and business staff. From
the water coolers to the cafeteria, the people
working at the Institute are all together.”
This open, accessible communication is the
best benefit of being part of CRP, said Randy
Ward, president and chief operating officer of
Diatherix, one of the fast-growing biotech
companies at the Institute.
“Where normally you would have to drive to a
university somewhere and try to get permission
to go in and talk to someone (about an idea or a
research question), we just go over and talk to
them,” he said of the researchers at the Institute.
“It is amazing to have this in one building. There
is nowhere like it.”
Diatherix is growing at super-speed. It has
recently tripled its volume and will soon expand
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into a larger space at the Institute. Its success and
notoriety is helping to secure CRP’s reputation as
a world leader in genomic research. “We bring
people here from all over the United States, and
(the Institute) gives so much validity to what we
do. It just blows people away when they see
this,” said Ward.
Southerland said Diatherix is another example
of CRP’s entrepreneurial spirit, and he is excited
to see such explosive growth in biotechnology at
CRP. Utilizing technology created by Hudson-
Alpha researcher Dr. Jian Han, Diatherix’s lab
provides the fastest large multiplex PCR infection
testing in the United States (at just 6 hours time),
is the only lab in the United States that can test a
single human specimen utilizing molecular
testing for 25 pathogens, and is the only one to
test a specimen for viruses and bacteria at the
same time.
“The great thing about what they did was
they took the technology of the scientific side of
HudsonAlpha, which is a non-profit, and they
took research done from Dr. Jian Han and they
transferred that technology into something
commercial that is changing the models for how
doctors diagnose, and therefore treat, patients,”
Southerland said.
With extraordinary companies and institutions
working together to meld big ideas with a
‘can do’ spirit to serve the needs of government,
technology, biotechnology, and more, the future
of CRP is exciting. n
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dazzling shopping
AREA’S VARIETY IS DELIGHTFULLY SURPRISING
By Kimberly Ballard
Forbes cited Huntsville as one of the Top 10
Smartest Cities in the world. With all that
brainpower at work, Huntsville residents expect
technologically advanced products and smart
merchandise that represents the fruits of their
intellectual endeavors.
They enjoy a diverse selection of sophisticated
shopping options that guarantee value and
promise convenience. From high-ticket luxury
items like automobiles, home furnishings and
jewelry to everyday fashion, home décor and
daily necessities, Huntsville gives its residents
plenty of shopping opportunities, always within a
15-minute drive from anywhere in the city.
SHOPPING WITHOUT DROPPING
Huntsville provides diverse shopping experiences,
all convenient from any part of town.
Shoppers can spend a couple of hours
browsing the traditional stores at Parkway Place
Mall and then in 10 minutes find themselves
strolling the waterside esplanade of Bridge
Street Town Centre with its more than 70 upscale
boutiques and specialty stores.
Five minutes away from Bridge Street are
stores found exclusively in Huntsville at Madison
Square Mall, while 13 minutes in a southeasterly
direction is one of the city’s greatest shopping
experiences for Huntsville-owned retail shops,
offices and dining at Main Street South.
“Parkway Place and Madison Square Mall
each offer an array of stores that cannot be found
anywhere else in the area,” said Jana Kuner,
group marketing director for CBL & Associates
Properties Inc., owners of both malls. “Each
center offers extra amenities including indoor
n Bridge Street Town Centre has more than 70
boutique and specialty stores, and features a
Monaco Pictures theater. Photo by Dave Dieter.
play areas, food courts and soft seating.”
Belk has a store at each of the shopping
centers, providing apparel for the entire family,
cosmetics, shoes and accessories, and a variety
of house wares and decor.
“With weather patterns like they are in the
Tennessee Valley, we often find ourselves inviting
shoppers to warm up, stay dry or beat the heat in
our enclosed shopping centers,” Kuner said.
“Main Street South is a hidden jewel, perhaps
one of Huntsville’s most forward-looking
shopping villages, built in the 1980s and designed
with Main Street America in mind,” explained
Michael McCurry of McCurry Real Estate Inc.,
who bought Main Street South in 1999. A
spectacular three-floor circular atrium houses
many professional businesses.
The main level is reserved for locally owned
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www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com | 256.535.2000 CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty | 55
0000278343-01

art galleries, photography studios, restaurants
and retail shops like Sabghi Jewelers, a full
service store filled with hundreds of gemstones
and diamonds, gold and silver chains and
pendants, and watches in all price ranges.
“Main Street South is quaint and has a quiet
atmosphere where people can grab something
delicious to eat while wandering in and out of the
shops. Because it is such a beautiful setting, we
have a lot of events here, including weddings,”
McCurry said.
Huntsville’s newest shopping extravaganza
lies on the edge of Cummings Research Park.
One of the unique features of Bridge Street Town
Centre is the open-air promenade lined with
shops that delight any age group and restaurants
to whet any appetite. At any given time, visitors
will see children devouring yummy sweets from
the Chocolate Crocodile, mom still in a swoon
from a relaxing day at Blue Medspa, and dad
hurrying everyone into Connor’s Steak House or
P.F. Chang’s in time to catch the 7 p.m. showing
at Monaco Theatre.
“We have very active entertainment at
Bridge Street, particularly at night,” said Marty
Dubey, the center’s marketing director.
“Gondola rides on the lake, the children’s
carousel, and pavement performers almost
every night make for a romantic date night,
family night or group outing. We offer a
complete shopping experience.”
n Enjoying a meal at Lime Fresh in Bridge
Street Town Centre are Ashley Blankenship
of Grapevine, Texas, and Thomas Espy and
Michael Streeter of Madison.
MAkING A HOUSE A HOME
Retail saw the emergence of superstores
in the 1990s, ushering in an expectation of
convenience and demand for integrated
products with services to make shopping easier.
Huntsville retailers adopted the cost-effective
“big city” model of one stop shopping that has
significantly affected how shoppers buy products
for their home.
Setting up house is a top priority for new
Huntsville residents. Those customers expect
comparable design services that help them
create practical, functional spaces in their
kitchens, bathrooms, living areas, home offices,
entertainment spaces and laundry rooms. Maxon
Bromley, general manager of Valley Appliance,
said there is more to buying kitchen appliances
than deciding between a white top-mount or
black bottom-mount refrigerator.
“We are truly a one stop shop for sales, service
and installation, but we also help customers
design and remodel their bathrooms and
kitchens, mudrooms – which usually house their
washers and dryers – and we provide solutions
for closets, cabinets, entertainment centers and
even built-in bookcases,” he said.
Any retailer in the area can provide the
newest innovative green home appliance
technology. Much of this technology is
developed and produced in Huntsville at
LG Electronics.
Both Bassett Home Furnishings and Townhouse
Galleries in Huntsville provide integrated
interior design services along with retail
furnishings for their customers.
According to Jennifer Ryan, sales manager at
Bassett, customers building or decorating and
furnishing $400,000 homes are looking for more
than a furniture store that sells a chair here and
sofa there.
“They want high quality customization and
30-day delivery – and they get it,” Ryan explains.
“We have professional design consultants on
staff with many years of experience.”
Providing full interior decorating and design
services streamlines the process.
“We develop relationships with our customers,
go out to their homes and measure, help them
stage a room one at a time, and determine what
they like, and coordinate their tables, chairs,
sofas, rugs, cushions and artwork,” Ryan said.
“What’s more, if the customer happened to have
a townhouse or beach house down on the coast
or in another state, we can help them decorate it
from here in North Alabama, and as long as there
is a store in their area, have it drop shipped to
their vacation home wherever that might be.”
LUXURY LIVING
Huntsville can even provide the security
conscious with an integrated home monitoring
system with all the bells and whistles of an estate
on Long Island.
“We are a local company providing outstanding
local installation, tech support, maintenance
and monitoring,” said Billy Chancellor, owner of
BBC Systems. “There is no automatic billing
renewal and no buy-out on a contract. If you
need advice or a service call, a real person
answers the call.”
Most families barely scratch the surface of
what a wireless touch-screen home security
system can provide, said Chancellor.
“We have systems that control your air
conditioning if you are away for a period of time,
keeping it cool enough to keep the chocolate
from melting, but warm enough to keep the
power bill at a minimum,” he said.
“They can control the inside and outdoor
lights in case you don’t want people to know you
are gone, and there are apps for your phone that
allow you to control the electronics in the house
from your phone.”
The touchpad lets you leave messages for
other family members and works from a central
station with options for 24/7 monitoring.”
Are you getting married or engaged? Do you
have a family heirloom that needs reset or
redesigned? Huntsville’s Donny Maleknia is a star
jewelry designer who gave up microchips for
“ice” chips, merging an artistic eye with a girl’s
best friend. When customers pull up in front of
Donny’s Diamond Gallery, they are greeted with
a wave before entering the showroom and
welcomed with a goblet of sparkling water
served on gold embossed cocktail napkins.
Then Donny walks customers through their
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expectations. “If you can dream it, Donny will
create it,” said his wife and store manager,
Fatemeh Nazarieh.
It’s true what they say about Southerners
loving their pickup trucks, but according to
Paige Pearman Sandlin at Ray Pearman Lincoln
Mercury, major car manufacturers have
categorized Huntsville as a luxury car market.
“Huntsville is a great city to purchase a
vehicle,” she said. “We are just large enough to
be considered a luxury market, but small enough
to keep that intimate, hometown feel. Many of
our dealerships are still family owned, so buyers
deal with an experienced hometown dealer. You
will find all the major manufactures and brands
here in Huntsville, from economy to luxury, and
you can buy at competitive prices.”
Dealers include Mercedes Benz of Huntsville,
Lexus of Huntsville, Bentley Cadillac, Smith
Infinity and Woody Anderson Ford.
Relocate America, a consumer-driven agency
and resource for people relocating to different
cities, named Huntsville one of the country’s Top
10 Places to Live. Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle
said one reason for that is a smart populace.
“Huntsville,” he said, “stretches the limits of
our cerebral capacity with more PhDs and
engineers in one city than anywhere else in the
country.”
Smart people make smart shoppers, and in
Huntsville they find what their heart desires. n
n Above, Parkway Place features a
Belk and an array of other stores,
as well as the all-climate shopping
convenience of an indoor venue.
n Below, cars pack the parking lots at
Madison Square Mall, another indoor
shopping experience. Both are owned
by CBL & Associates Properties Inc.
www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com | 256.535.2000 CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty | 57

playtime
PLENTY TO DO IN YOUR LEISURE HOURS
By Bob Labbe
The old adage “so much to do, so little time”
perfectly describes the Huntsville and Madison
County recreational scene.
Arriving into one of the premier family-
oriented communities in the South, one quickly
sees and feels the wondrous ways of life that
make North Alabama the place to be.
Huntsville/Madison County provides a deluge
of recreational opportunities for both youth and
adults. For the second time in three years,
Huntsville has been recognized as a “Playful
City” by KaBOOM, a national nonprofit
dedicated to saving play for America’s children,
and it is among 100 cities in the United States
that make play a priority and use innovative
programs to get all members of the communities
active, playing and healthy. Huntsville has been
tabbed as “One of the Best Places to Live” by
Men’s Journal and “One of the Nation’s Leading
Places to Retire” by CNN/Money.
“Time and time again our residents and
newcomers tell us that the quality of life here is
n Checking out camping equipment
during a Huntsville Operation Green Team
Play Day at Hays Nature Preserve’s
Terrame Natural Playground are, from
left, Tyler Wages, Carson Wages and
Erika Ritchie.
unparalleled,” said Tommy Battle, mayor of
Huntsville. “There is truly something for
everyone here. Huntsville has it all. The
community is welcoming, open and inclusive.”
PLAYGROUND MECCA
If leisure style of recreational playtime is
what you’re looking for, then look no further.
There is truly something for everyone here,
whether you enjoy peaceful walks along
numerous greenways, fishing, hunting, hiking
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or the more involved recreational sports.
The City of Huntsville has 66 public playgrounds
- which encompass over 3,000 acres
- and 24 Huntsville City School playgrounds.
Huntsville has a wondrous play park for
children with Kid’s Space, which is located at
Memorial Parkway and Airport Road. Huntsville
also boasts the special needs playground named
Everybody Can Play at Brahan Spring Park,
which is dedicated to those who are physically
and mentally challenged. The park is easily
accessible for all levels of children. The park is a
collaboration of the City of Huntsville with the
local Optimist and Kiwanis Clubs.
Just 20 minutes from downtown Huntsville,
the 250-acre Sharon Johnston Park lies nestled
in the rolling hills of northeast Madison County.
The forested park with its stone and cedar
fencing reflects the early settlement look.
The park includes a 12-acre fishing lake,
Olympic size swimming pool, campgrounds,
picnic pavilions, shooting range, soccer fields,
playground and a 5K walking/running course.
All facilities are handicap accessible.
n Kasey Schweitzer and son
Brandon Wigginton enjoy a
tire swing at the Everybody
Can Play playground at
Huntsville’s Brahan Spring Park.
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n Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle visits with
Brian Coats at the Everybody Can Play
Playground, which offers playtime access to
people with various physical challenges.
Soft surfaces help prevent injuries.
On the opposite side of Madison County is the City of Madison with
its array of facilities, which have been upgraded and expanded over the
last two decades to accommodate the influx of residents in the city that
borders Madison and Limestone Counties. Dublin Memorial Park
includes indoor and outdoor swimming pools, gymnasium, Dublin
Tennis Center, a new disc-golf course, Kid’s Kingdom playground and
several soccer fields. Madison also has Palmer Park, which can host
baseball, softball, soccer and football programs.
Nearby Madison is the community of Monrovia/Harvest with Phillips
Park, home to youth sports on athletic fields and indoor recreation
center. The community continues to swell with families and so have the
recreational facilities in an attempt to welcome the newest community
members with enough programs to satisfy the most ardent of sports
enthusiasts.
GREENWAYS
The Huntsville/Madison County community has an assemblage of
some of the newest, best kept greenways anywhere in the South.
A greenway is a corridor of undeveloped land, as along a river or stream
or between urban centers that is reserved for recreational use or
environmental preservation. These provide the perfect setting for
nature lovers of all ages, whatever the season. Huntsville alone has nine
greenways covering over 26 miles of nature’s beauty.
0000282974-01

The City of Madison has more than six miles
of trails with the addition of the newest greenway,
Bradford Creek, which involves a two-mile
path from Liberty Middle School south to I-565.
A joint venture between Huntsville and
Madison is the newly built Creekwood Park,
located off Slaughter Road, which borders both
cities. The park includes an 18-hole disc golf
course, dog park, pavilions, playgrounds and an
extension of the local greenway.
The Land Trust of North Alabama has various
public properties and five nature preserves to
help residents and visitors experience the local
treasures of nature. The newest Land Trust
property is the Harvest Square Recreational
Preserve, located alongside a lake in Harvest.
Atop a beautiful mountain in Huntsville’s
eastern side, Monte Sano State Park offers
2,400 natural acres with 14 miles of trails. The
park also offers cottages, camping, picnic areas
and pavilions, playgrounds and an amphitheater.
Newly restored, the historic Monte Sano Lodge
again welcomes guests.
Nevertheless, it’s the hiking and biking trails
that may close the deal for outdoor enthusiasts
considering relocating here. Stunning vistas
have made the mountaintop important as a
natural attraction. The trails range from mild
elevation changes for walkers to rough terrain
for the more serious hikers and bikers.
The Green Mountain Nature Trail, a free
attraction, is located in southeast Huntsville.
Natural beauty radiates from trails and an
abundance of plants and wildlife. A lake, pavilion
chapel and covered bridge make for a perfect
encounter for any recreational hiker and
outdoors lover. The Hays Nature Preserve in
Hampton Cove, built by the City of Huntsville,
includes 1,000 acres.
OUTDOORS RECREATION
While conventional sports have and always
will be a mainstay of recreational exploits, the
great outdoors of the area is booming with
those who look to being among nature.
Along the shores of the 650-mile Tennessee
River, Ditto Landing offers more than 500 acres
of delightful scenery on or near the currents of
the waterway. For boaters, Ditto Landing offers
a full-service marina with wet slips, heated dry
storage, the Alabama Marina Police and the
U. S. Coast Guard Auxiliary.
Arriving at the facility on Hobbs Island Road
just off South Memorial Parkway, you wind your
way through nature with bountiful trees, picnic
areas and campgrounds before emerging at the
marina, which offers 102 covered and 68
non-covered wet slips. Adjacent to the marina is
a dry storage building that can accommodate
250 boats, personal watercraft and trailers.
Ditto Landing is a complete recreational
facility. The marina is a small part. The site
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0000270019-01
Independent Residents,
Marvin & Evelyn O’Donnell
Marvin O’Donnell: “If you can’t live at
home, Regency is the place to go. We’re
better satisfi ed here than we ever thought
we’d be. They have bus service (limousine
service I call it) that will take you
anywhere in town that you need to go. I
highly recommend it!”
Evelyn O’Donnell: “Marvin and I have
found a home at Regency. You meet
people from all over the world here and
they are just as nice as can be. All of the
help here really tries to make us happy…
they cook good food… It’s just been
fabulous! We are happy here.”
Assisted Living Resident, Malcolm
Reeves’ Daughter, Robin Monroe:
daughter of Resident Malcolm Reeves and
the late Wilma Reeves, “I visited several
places and I knew when I walked in,
that Regency was the place I wanted my
parents to live. I can put down my head
at night and know that my dad is safe. “
Independent Living • Assisted Living
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2004 Max Luther Drive N.W.
Huntsville, AL 35810
(256) 852-0033
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In the design gallery at Townhouse Galleries, our designers understand that your house should refl ect
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OF COMFORT
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WORLD’S
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n Kathryn Williams hits a shot at Becky Pierce
Municipal Golf Course.
includes a campground, recreational vehicle
accommodations and three pavilions. The U.S.
Coast Guard Auxiliary and the Huntsville Power
Squadron each offer safe boating classes.
The Tennessee River offers all types of
freshwater fishing opportunities, but one of the
best-kept secret fishing spots is Madison County
Lake. Located near Gurley, 11 miles east of
Huntsville, this 105-acre fishing bonanza holds
six different kinds of fish.
An accessible fishing pier allows anglers to
drop their lines into the deepest of the waters of
the lake, and launching ramp is available for
those using boats. Once on the water, boaters
must use trolling motors. If you’re ages 16 to 64,
you’ll need a fishing license.
For hunters, an array of game is available on
thousands of acres. Hunters are required to
obtain a hunting license and attend a hunter’s
education class if born after Aug. 1, 1977.
For a more adventurous route through
Madison County’s outdoors, canoeing is available.
North Alabama Canoe & Kayak, located just east
of downtown Huntsville in the Brownsboro
community, offers expert guides down the Flint
River and Paint Rock River. Courses are available
for a more venturesome trek on the backwaters
leading to the Tennessee River. Additional details
are available at www.nacktrips.com.
62 | CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty 256.535.2000 | www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com

ACTIVE SPORTS ENTHUSIAISTS
Huntsville has top-notch athletic facilities
from new construction to renovation of existing
facilities. Huntsville Tennis Center has 24 lighted
rubico courts. Becky Pierce Municipal Golf
Course is managed by Robertson Golf. Metro-
Kiwanis Sportsplex is comprised of six lighted
fields and is host to numerous league and special
tournaments year-round.
The natatorium is located at Brahan Spring
Park and features swimming and diving all year
round while hosting numerous swim competitions.
The natatorium has been the home
swimming hole for many collegiate and
Olympic swimmers.
The Huntsville Track Club, established in 1971,
boasts over 1,300 members and hosts more than
20 events annually, including three of the most
decorated races in the south: the Cotton Row
Run 10K, the Rocket City Marathon and the
Sprint Triathlon.
Disc golf has become very popular, and
Madison County sports several courses including
layouts at Dublin Park in Madison, Creekwood
located at the border of Huntsville and Madison
at the Indian Creek Greenway, Brahan Spring
Park, UAHuntsville and on Redstone Arsenal.
The area golf links include Hampton Cove
Golf Course as part of the statewide Robert
Trent Jones Golf Trail. Two championship
courses provide golfers of all levels challenging
and beautiful layouts.
Additional public courses can be found
throughout Madison County including Huntsville
Municipal, Sunset Landing and The Links on
Redstone Arsenal, which is scheduled to open to
the general public through an extensive overhaul
of current Redstone Arsenal properties in the
next two years. Three private golf country clubs
are also available within the city limits.
For bowling enthusiasts, the area has five
bowling centers including the Redstone Lanes
Bowling Center, which services civilian and
military employees and their families. Each
bowling center has a pro shop with the latest
equipment and a qualified instructor.
Ice skating has always been a fun way to bring
a little of the North down home to the South,
and the multi-million dollar Benton Wilcoxon Ice
Complex has proven that Southerners love the
sport. The year-round dual rink offers recreational
skating along with several adult and youth hockey
leagues. All are held on two regulation-size rinks
at the complex located on Leeman Ferry Road
next to Joe Davis Stadium.
“We have this topographical jewel box
nestled in the foothills of the Appalachian
Mountains, bordered by the Tennessee River
and rich valley farmland. Our residents enjoy
spending time taking advantage of our many
outdoors parks and our Southern heritage to
the fullest,” said Mayor Battle. n
Research Park | Huntsville
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www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com | 256.535.2000 CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty | 63
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demographics
INCOME & AGE
AVERAGE HOUSEHOLD INCOME
Madison County $74,304
City of Huntsville $67,940
City of Madison $101,574
Huntsville Metro $71,906
Source: 2010 American Community Survey
POPULATION
Madison County 334,811
City of Huntsville 180,105
City of Madison 42,938
Huntsville Metro
Source: 2010 U.S. Census
417,593
HOME SALES FOR 2011
number of houses sold 8,441
Average selling price $161,252
days on the Market 122
number of Houses on the Market 7,450
Median selling price $138,000
Source: Huntsville Area Association of Realtors
HUNTSVILLE’S INDICATORS
2011 COST OF LIVING
National Average=100
Composite index 93.6
grocery items 95.8
Utilities 96.2
transportation 101.8
Healthcare 95.2
Misc. goods & services
Source: The Council for Community
and Economic Research
102.4
EMPLOYMENT
total non-Agricultural
employment 207,633
Manufacturing 22,475
non-manufacturing 185,158
Civilian labor Force 210,164
employment 93,824
Unemployment 16,340
Unemployment Rate 7.8%
Source: Alabama Department of
Industrial Relations, Annual Averages
2011 AIRPORT TRAFFIC
passengers 1,260,715
Cargo weight 446,278,100
Source: Huntsville-Madison County
Airport Authority
HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY
LEADING EMPLOYERS
U.s. Army/Redstone Arsenal *
nAsA /
30,000
Marshall space Flight Center * 6,000
Huntsville Hospital system 6,280
the Boeing Company 2,600
Huntsville City schools 3,000
Madison County schools 2,389
sAiC 2,242
(science Applications international Corporation)
City of Huntsville 2,206
UAHuntsville 1,675
sanmina-sCi Corporation 1,578
teledyne Brown engineering 1,530
AdtRAn, inc. 1,740
CinRAM, inc. 1,450
intergraph Corporation 1,325
northrop grumman Corporation 1,252
Verizon wireless 1,200
Madison County Commission 1,122
directV 1,100
lockheed Martin Corporation 1,040
Crestwood Medical Center 1,000
toyota Motor Manufacturing 1,000
January 2012, Chamber of Commerce of
Huntsville/Madison County
* includes on-site contractors
64 | CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty 256.535.2000 | www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com

Chamber staff
EXECUTIVE STAFF
Chip Cherry
CCe, president & Ceo
tammy gregory
executive Assistant
Ashley shady
Resource desk Coordinator
Becky Moretti
Resource desk Assistant
ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT
ethan Hadley
Vice president, economic development
john southerland
director,
Cummings Research park | project Manager
lucia Cape
Vp, workforce & industry Relations
Ken smith
director, Research & information services
Harrison diamond
project Manager
Amy locke
economic development, workforce &
industry Relations Administrative Assistant
COMMUNICATIONS
patricia McCarter
Communications director
Kristi sherrard
graphic designer
Hiroko sedensky
web designer
Rêvé smith
Communications specialist
GOVERNMENTAL AFFAIRS
Mike ward
Vice president, governmental Affairs
tina leopold
governmental Affairs Assistant
FINANCE & ADMINISTRATION
Christy nalley
director of Finance & Administration
jamie gallien
it Manager
Mary Mcnairy
Accounting specialist
lori warner
Accounting specialist
joe watson
Facilities supervisor
MEMBERSHIP
Mike Brazier
director, Membership
donna McCrary
Membership specialist
Amy Brantley
Membership sales
Melissa putzier
Membership sales
SMALL BUSINESS
pammie jimmar
small Business Manager
Mitzi Floyd
small Business Coordinator
Kathleen Byrne
events Coordinator
Amanda Bishop
events Assistant
www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com | 256.535.2000 CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty | 65

Come Outside & Play!
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • •
The nation’s largest open-aired butterfly house
•••••••• Five interactive treehouses
Water features to cool down in the summer heat •••
A Children’s Garden
Miniature Garden Railway
Plant Collections & scenic trails
too numerous to name!
66 | CHAmber of CommerCe of HUntSville / mAdiSon CoUnty 256.535.2000 | www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
• • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • • •
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