Initiatives August 2009 - Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of ...

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Initiatives August 2009

Expecting? 

Expect more from Crestwood Maternity Center. 

Free Prenatal 

Classes 

Prepared Child Birth • Newborn Care 

Sibling • Breast Feeding 

New Mom’s Support Group 

To register, call 

429.4888 

Learn more about 

Crestwood Maternity Center 

at crestwoodmedcenter.com 

or call 429.5250. 

2 August 2009 Initiatives

© 2007 RCSH All Rights Reserved 

- ruth 

Downtown Huntsville 

800 Monroe Street 

at the Embassy Suites 

(256) 539-3930 

Open for Lunch and Dinner 7 Days a Week 

Private Party Facilities for 10 to 300 

www.RuthsChris.com 

3 


Thanks to Our Investors 

Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County 

Development Partner 

($250,000+ invested annually: public sector) 

City of Huntsville 

Development Council 

(Up to $125,000 invested annually: public sector) 

Huntsville Utilities 

Madison County Commission 

Tennessee Valley Authority 

Huntsville Hospital 

City of Madison 

Huntsville-Madison County 

Airport Authority 

Chairman’s Council 

($50,000+ invested: private sector) 

Toyota Motor Manufacturing 

Alabama, Inc. 

Regions Bank 

Chamber Trustees ($10,000 - $24,999 invested annually) 

Agility Defense & Government Services 

Avocent Corporation 

Beason & Nalley, Inc. 

Blue Cross & Blue Shield of Alabama 

Booz Allen Hamilton 

Breland Companies 

Camber Corporation 

CINRAM, Inc. 

Cobham Analytic Solutions 

COLSA Corporation 

Continental AG 

Huntsville Area Association of Realtors 

Progress Partners ($5,000 - $9,999 invested annually) 

AEgis Technologies 

Analytical Services, Inc. 

Applied Data Trends, Inc. 

BAE Systems 

BASF Catalysts LLC 

CapitalSouth Bank 

Coldwell Banker/McLain Real Estate 

Colonial Properties 

Consolidated Construction 

Dynetics 

Enfinger Steele Development, Inc. 

ERC, Inc. 

First Commercial Bank 

J. Smith Lanier & Co. 

Jerry Damson Honda Acura 

Keystone Foods Corporation 

Lanier Ford Shaver & Payne 

LG Electronics Alabama, Inc. 

M. B. Kahn Construction Co., Inc. 

Maynard Cooper & Gale, P.C. 

Huntsville/Madison County 

Builders Association, Inc. 

Intergraph Corporation 

Intuitive Research & Technology 

Corporation 

L-3 Communications 

Lamar Outdoor Advertising 

Look Outdoor Advertising 

Northrop Grumman 

Parsons Corporation 

SportsMED Orthopaedic Surgery & 

Spine Center 

NAI Chase Commercial Realty 

Navistar Diesel of Alabama 

The Orthopaedic Center 

Parker Hannifin Corporation 

Pratt & Whitney Rocketdyne, Inc. 

RBC Bank 

Samples Properties 

Sirote & Permutt, P.C. 

SL1-Inc 

SOUTHBank 

Stanley Associates 

Superior Bank 

The Surgery Center of Huntsville 

System Studies and Simulation, Inc. 

Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. 

Turner Universal Construction 

WAFF-TV 

Wilmer & Lee, P.A. 

Yellowbook 

Anonymous 

4 August 2009 Initiatives 

President’s Circle 

($25,000 - $49,999 invested annually) 

ADTRAN 

AT&T 

The Boeing Company 

Colonial Bank 

Compass Bank 

Crestwood Medical Center 

Deltacom 

The Huntsville Times 

Lockheed Martin 

Redstone Federal Credit Union 

SAIC 

Verizon Wireless 

Wachovia Bank, N.A. 

Progress Investors ($2,500 - $4,999 invested annually) 

4SITE, Incorporated 

Applied Geo Technologies 

Averbuch Realty / Averbuch Enterprises 

BancorpSouth 

Baron Services 

Belzon 

BFA Systems 

Bill Penney Toyota 

Bradley Arant Boult Cummings 

Brown Precision 

Bryant Bank 

Century Automotive 

Chapman Sisson Architects 

DESE Research, Inc. 

DHS Systems 

Digital Fusion 

DRS Technologies – A Finmeccanica Company 

Fountain Parker Harbarger & Associates 

Fuqua & Partners 

Garber Construction Co., Inc. 

General Dynamics 

Gray Research, Inc. 

The Heritage Club 

Huntsville Tractor & Equipment, Inc. 

Jacobs 

JH Partners Architecture & Interiors 

Kelly Services 

Kratos Defense & Security Solutions, Inc. 

Kudzu Productions 

Lamb Commercial Services, Inc. 

North Alabama Gas District 

Progress Bank 

QinetiQ North America 

QTEC 

Qualis Corporation 

Radiance Technologies, Inc. 

ServisFirst Bank 

SESI 

Torch Technologies 

Weichert Realtors – The Executive Group 

Wesfam Restaurants, Inc. – Burger King 

WHNT-19 

Wilson Lumber 

Woodland Homes of Huntsville 

Woody Anderson Ford

“I’m a member! 

and I’m building 

my business” 

Whether you need to build a new facility, purchase 

or expand your existing facility or refinance your 

construction loan, Redstone Federal Credit Union 

is equipped to meet your growing business needs. 

Redstone’s Commercial Real Estate loans 

offer competitive rates, terms and 

payment schedules. Let us help you 

build your business. 

Call Business Services at 256-722-3407 

to talk with a loan officer. 

Must be RFCU member and have a Business Share Account to obtain business loan. Loans 

subject to credit approval. Equal credit opportunity lender. Restrictions may apply. 

5 


Advancing Outpatient Surgery 

Experience, excellence and now convenience 

You’ve trusted Huntsville Hospital all your life for excellence in surgery. Now you can find that same expertise in a more 

convenient setting in Huntsville Hospital’s new Outpatient Surgery Center in the Governors Medical Tower on Gallatin 

Street. With easy in-and-out parking, plenty of space for family and even a Grab ‘N’ Go snack shop, we make your experience 

as simple as possible. And isn’t it nice to know that you are adjacent to one of Alabama’s largest surgical centers? 

Visit us online at huntsvillehospital.org to see our facility. The technology and the team that you expect from the region’s 

leading hospital are now available to serve you in Huntsville Hospital’s Outpatient Surgery Center. It’s a new way of 

taking care of you from the hospital that you’ve trusted for generations. 

huntsvillehospital.org 


initiatives 


august 2009 

Small Business: 

Foundation of Economic Growth 

page 34 

on the cover 

Jan Smith – 2008 winner of the 

Entrepreneur of the Year Award 

Cover design by Kristi Sherrard 

and J. Hanshaw Photography 

Huntsville/Madison County, Alabama is located in 

the middle of the southeastern United States, with 

more than four million people within a 100-mile 

radius. The Huntsville community is the economic 

hub of the northern Alabama/southern Tennessee 

region. Huntsville/Madison County’s economy is 

one of the strongest in the South, with low unemployment, 

strong job growth and income levels 

leading the region. Business growth and investment 

from U.S. and international companies have made 

it one of the country’s top “hot spots” for growing 

a business and raising a family. 

Courtesy of the Huntsville-Madison County Convention & Visitors Bureau 

features 

Economic Development Highlights 14 

including Analytical Services, O&S Holdings, 

Applied Data Trends, Huntsville Hospital, 

Huntsville International Airport, Draper Laboratory, 

Huntsville Utilities, Forbes, Appleton Learning, 

U.S. Space & Rocket Center, Sentar and Dynetics 

Huntsville Prepares Welcome Mat 23 

Getting into the FMS Game 24 

BRAC Update 25 

Winning Over YPs 28 

TBE Expands Legacy 31 

Intuitive Celebrates 10 Years 35 

developments 

HREGI Investors 4 

Chamber Board Listing 8 

Community Profile 10 

Growth Through Networking 22 

Chamber Staff Listing 38 

Waving the Checkered Flag 39 

Employee of the Quarter 42 

“Shaping History” 43 

editorial staff 

Publisher 

Executive Editor 

Brian Hilson 

John Southerland 

mission 

contact 

The mission of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County 

is to prepare, develop and promote our community for economic growth. 

Chamber of Commerce of 

Huntsville/Madison County 

225 Church Street 

Huntsville, AL 35801 

256.535.2000 

on the web 

www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com 

www.aSmartPlace.com 

Editorial Designer 

Contributing Writers 

Photography 

Kristi Sherrard 

Lucia Cape, Harrison Diamond, 

John Southerland, Loren Traylor, 

and Mike Ward 

Chamber of Commerce 

staff & publications (if not credited) 

Certain images from Shutterstock.com 

Advertising Sales 

Ray Johnson 

The Huntsville Times 

7 



Board of Directors and 

Executive Committee 2009 

Executive Committee 

Dear Chamber of Commerce Investors, Community Leaders and Friends: 

You’ve probably heard the saying “If you don’t know where you’re going, any road will 

take you there.” For the founders of successful small businesses, one thing is for sure: 

they had a vision. They also likely had some combination of other attributes which 

helped them become successful – mentoring, a sound business plan, resources, luck, 

“sticktuitiveness”, and the list goes on. Fortunately, small businesses represent a critical 

element of any community’s economy. In the Huntsville area, our small businesses each 

have their own unique situation, while collectively they generate a major impact on our 

regional economy. 

Because small businesses are so important, most communities offer some form of 

assistance to start-up and existing small businesses. Most prominent among the small 

business services of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County is our 

annual Small Business Awards Celebration, which happens to be one of our largest 

events in terms of attendance, but when it comes to excitement, is unmatched by 

anything else we do. 

This edition of Initiatives is dedicated to the many small businesses which make the 

Huntsville area home, and is timed with our annual Small Business Awards Celebration, 

scheduled for September 1 at the Von Braun Center. Pictured on the front cover is Jan 

Smith of S 3 , Inc., our 2008 recipient of the Chamber’s Entrepreneur of the Year award. 

We encourage you to watch very closely Huntsville’s growing role in foreign military 

sales (FMS). As a result of the most recent Base Realignment & Closure process, the 

headquarters of the United States Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC) is 

relocating to Redstone Arsenal, and with it, the role of the Huntsville area as an active 

player in international business markets continues to grow. You can read more about 

USASAC/FMS beginning on page 23. 

Also in this Initiatives is an update article on BRAC, and special stories on Huntsville’s 

attractiveness to young professionals (YPs), Teledyne Brown Engineering and Intuitive 

Research. In our economic development highlights section you’ll find updates on 

Analytical Services, Applied Data Trends, Draper Laboratory and Dynetics, among 

others. 

Whether they are now large or still small, each of the companies listed above began as 

a small business, each planning wisely and working hard to achieve success. Please join 

us on September 1 at the Von Braun Center as we celebrate the achievements of these 

and many other small businesses who did know where they wanted to go, and made the 

right decisions to get there! 

Brian Hilson 

President & CEO 


Irma Tuder, Chair, Analytical Services 

Don Nalley, Chair-Elect, Beason & Nalley 

Evans Quinlivan, Immediate Past Chair 

Tommy Beason, Chamber Foundation Chair, retired 

Jan Smith, Secretary/Treasurer, System Studies and Simulation 

Charlie Kettle, Vice Chair - Economic Development, First Commercial Bank 

Linda Maynor, Vice Chair - Governmental Affairs, Maynard, Cooper & Gale 

Ron Poteat, Vice Chair - Investor Relations, Regions Bank 

Joe Alexander, Vice Chair - Workforce, Camber Corporation 

Beth Martin, Vice Chair - Small Business 

Jeremiah Knight, Vice Chair - Research & Info. Services, Verizon Wireless 

Elizabeth Morard, Vice Chair - Image Development, Qualis Corporation 

Mayor Tommy Battle, Chair-Appointed, City of Huntsville 

Jim Bolte, Chair-Appointed, Toyota Motor Manufacturing Alabama 

Chairman Mike Gillespie, Chair-Appointed, Madison Co. Commission 

Joe Ritch, Chair-Appointed, Sirote & Permutt 

Brian Hilson, President/CEO, Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison Co. 

Elected Board 

Cynthia Achorn, ASRC Federal 

Clayton Bass, Huntsville Museum of Art 

Penny Billings, BancorpSouth 

Frank Caprio, Bradley Arant Boult Cummings 

Derrick Copeland, Applied Data Trends 

Elizabeth Dotts, Public FA 

Tracy Doughty, Huntsville Hospital 

John Eagan, Wachovia Bank 

Joe Fadool, Continental AG 

Kerry Fehrenbach, Intergraph Corporation 

Ron Gray, Gray Research 

Jeff Hamilton, The Orthopaedic Center 

Tom Hancock, Booz Allen Hamilton 

John Holly, Lockheed Martin Corporation 

Tharon Honeycutt, MSB Analytics 

Dr. Pam Hudson, Crestwood Medical Center 

Tony Jones, The Boeing Company 

Frederick Lanier, J. Smith Lanier & Co. 

Frank Libutti, Pegasus 

John McMullan, BancorpSouth 

Dan Montgomery, Northrop Grumman 

Caroline Myers, Foreign Language Services 

Joe Newberry, Redstone Federal Credit Union 

Tony Palumbo, Raytheon Company 

Pete Schofield, Cobham Analytic Solutions 

Crystal Shell, WILL Technology 

Todd Slyman, Village of Providence 

Keith Smith, SAIC 

Dr. O’Neal Smitherman, HudsonAlpha Institute for Biotechnology 

David Spillers, Huntsville Hospital 

Tom Stanton, ADTRAN 

Sandra Steele, Enfinger Steele Development 

Al Sullivan, ABT 

Dr. Dave Williams, UAHuntsville 

John Wilmer, Wilmer & Lee 

Danny Windham, Digium 

Dr. Ernie Wu, ERC 


Choosing a Career with ADTRAN 

Is the Best Decision You Will Ever Make 

Real People. 

Real Networks. 

Real Value. 

ADTRAN, Inc. 

901 Explorer Blvd. 


256 963-8000 

www.adtran.com 

If you want a challenging and rewarding 

career at one of the nation’s leading 

telecommunications companies, look no 

further — ADTRAN is the place for you. 

From the telephone to the Internet to IP 

Television, ADTRAN is powering the networks 

that keep us connected. Every time you pick up 

the phone, visit your MySpace page, download 

your favorite video or watch the game on your 

High Definition TV, you are likely being serviced 

by a piece of ADTRAN equipment. 

Working alongside some of the best and 

brightest engineers in telecommunications, you 

will have the opportunity to build a real career 

and help shape real networks that define the way 

we communicate both today and tomorrow. As an 

engineering-driven company, our success is the 

result of the skills and abilities of our employees 

— making you our most valuable resource. When 

you combine this opportunity with a competitive 

compensation and benefit package and a relaxed 

work atmosphere, it soon becomes clear why 

ADTRAN is one of the 200 best small companies 

in America. 

For more information on how you can 

join the ADTRAN team, visit us online at 

www.adtran.com/careers 

ADTRAN is an Equal Opportunity Employee. 

Copyright © 2008 ADTRAN, Inc. All rights 

reserved. ADTRAN is a registered trademark 

of ADTRAN, Inc. HR24A100108HSVXS 

9 


community profile 

Madison City of City of Huntsville 

Population County Huntsville Madison Metro Area 

2000 Census 276,700 158,216 29,329 342,376 

Current Estimate* 319,510 171,327 38,275 395,570 

Households & Income 

# of Households 121,186 69,229 13,875 147,283 

Avg. Household Income $69,882 $65,558 $85,820 $67,466 

Per Capita Income $28,209 $28,316 $32,180 $26,874 

*May 2009 

Sources: U.S. Census Bureau (www.census.gov), 

2007 American Community Survey 

TOP 10 EMPLOYERS 

Redstone Arsenal* ..................................... 25,373 

NASA/Marshall Space Flight Center* ........................ 7,177 

Huntsville Hospital System ................................. 5,126 

The Boeing Company .................................... 3,200 

Huntsville City Schools ................................... 3,000 

CINRAM, Inc. ......................................... 2,861 

Sanmina-SCI .......................................... 2,500 

Intergraph Corporation ................................... 2,450 

City of Huntsville ....................................... 2,199 

Madison County Schools. ................................. 2,150 

Source: Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County *includes onsite contractors 

Aerospace & Defense 

Huntsville/Madison County is home to the U.S. Army Redstone Arsenal and 

NASA’s Marshall Space Flight Center which combine to drive a thriving aerospace 

and defense technology industry. More than 32,000 people work at 

Redstone Arsenal and NASA managing some of the country’s most important 

and sophisticated technology programs including missiles, aviation and 

space exploration. 

Research & Technology 

For more 

information visit: 

HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com 

Huntsville’s Cummings Research Park has earned a reputation as a global 

leader in technology development. The second-largest science and technology 

park in the U.S., Cummings Research Park is home to more than 285 companies 

and 25,000 people involved in technology research and development. 

Your needs are unique. 

So we come prepared. 

At RBC Bank, we understand that 

no two problems are alike– and 

neither are our solutions. That’s 

why we equip all of our employees 

with the tools to go beyond the 

usual banking routes and find the 

best possible way to address your 

needs. To learn more, stop by your 

local banking center or call today. 

1-800-236-8872 

www.rbcbankusa.com 

Let’s do something giant. 


© RBC Bank (USA) 2008. Member FDIC. ® Registered trademark of Royal Bank of Canada. Trademark of Royal Bank of Canada. Used under license. 

RBC Bank is a trade name used by RBC Bank (USA) and its branch offices operate under this trade name. “Let’s do something giant.” is a registered trademark of RBC 

Bancorporation (USA). Used under license.

11 



Legislative Updates 

Keep Business 

Community 

Informed 

The Chamber of Commerce of 

Huntsville/Madison County recently 

hosted several legislative updates, 

including Washington Updates with 

U.S. Senators Richard Shelby and Jeff 

Sessions and Congressman Parker 

Griffith; and the Alabama Update 

with Gov. Bob Riley. 

The events are designed for the 

speakers to inform local business 

leaders about current issues that 

may impact the Huntsville/Madison 

County community. Each of the 

events were sold out and drew and 

average attendance of 1,100 people. 

13 


ECONOMIC DEVELOPMENT HIGHLIGHTS 

CHAMBER OF COMMERCE OF HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY 

ASI Breaks Ground on Second Building in CRP 

Analytical Services Inc. (ASI) recently broke ground on its 

second facility in Cummings Research Park. When complete, 

the new facility will be roughly 27,000 square feet and 

will house both ASI and two fellow subsidiaries of parent 

company ASRC Federal, ASRC Aerospace Corporation and 

ASRC Research & Technology Solutions. 

“ASI in many ways represents what is so unique about 

this community, the belief that anyone can envision and 

create a sustainable business that attracts great people. And 

when you hire people who feel invested into the company, 

they extend and develop that vision and take the company 

to even higher levels. I can say with great certainty that 

is the case with ASI, as evidenced by what we are doing 

here today,” said Irma Tuder, chair of the Chamber of Commerce 

of Huntsville/Madison County Board of Directors and 

founder of ASI. 

Tuder founded ASI 17 years ago as a federal contractor 

providing engineering and management support to the 

federal government. ASI was purchased by ASRC Federal in 

2007, making it part of nine subsidiaries. 

Cynthia Achorn, former president of ASI and current Chief 

Strategy Officer for ASRC Federal, spoke on its behalf. 

“At ASI I went from a program manager to a director to a 

vice president to president and now I am a senior representative 

with ASRC Federal. It just makes you imagine what all you 

can do with this company,” Achorn said. “We are committed to 

investing in Huntsville and committed to our employees.” 

Ken Barnett, ASI president, said he was excited to begin 

construction on the new building and said he hopes to outgrow 

it just like the other building. 

John Horan, President of ASRC Aerospace; Cynthia Achorn, Chief Strategy Officer of ASRC Federal; Irma Tuder, Chamber of 

Commerce Board Chair and ASI Founder; Ken Barnett, President of ASI; Mayor Tommy Battle; and Greg Einfalt, President of 

ASRC Research & Technology turn over dirt at ASI’s groundbreaking cermony for its second building in CRP. 

“I’m eager to start building,” Barnett said. “Thanks to the 

employees and the efforts you put forth. We wouldn’t be here 

without you. I ask that you continue to support our customers 

and our community.” 

Mayor Tommy Battle congratulated the company on its 

growth. 

“This really is an amazing day. You have done some 

great things over the years and are truly one of the companies 

that make this community so great. In just 17 years 

you have built something that will go on for many more 

years,” Battle said. • 

O&S Holdings Announces Expansion at BSTC 

O&S Holdings, the development firm that manages Bridge Street Town Centre, renewed its commitment 

to Huntsville/Madison County by announcing plans to continue expanding by adding a 

new office tower as well as new amenities to the Westin. 

Construction on a new six-story, 130,000 square-foot building is expected to begin early 

next year. The new office building will mirror the current building that was recently rented by 

CSC. When consolidations are completed, 400 CSC employees will work at Bridge Street. The 

new tower represents an investment of some $35 million. 

Garry Safady, managing partner of O&S Holdings, said the announcement is great news in 

light of the current national downturn in the market. 

“In today’s market, it is a wonderful experience to be able to announce something so great 

for this community,” he said. Safady added that he is already taking pre-leasing offers. 

In addition to the new tower, plans are underway to create six professional-level tennis 

courts and an executive putting green for the Westin’s guests as well as those who pay to use 

the facilities. 

Safady also announced that a major department store is being contacted about possibly 

becoming a tenant. While Safady would not go into details because of confidentiality agreements, 

he did say it would require 100,000 to 200,000 square feet. Company officials say 

that a department store at Bridge Street has been one of the most frequently requested types 

of stores. • 


Applied Data Trends Celebrates 

15 Years in Business and 

Growth with Ribbon Cutting 

Applied Data Trends (ADT), a locally-owned defense contractor 

specializing in software development, celebrated 15 

years of business in Huntsville and continued growth with 

a ribbon cutting ceremony at the company’s headquarters in 

Cummings Research Park. 

Ron Poteat, vice chair for investor relations of the Chamber 

of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County’s Board of 

Directors, congratulated the company on its accomplishments. 

“This is not only a great day for the founders and employees 

of ADT, but also for the community as we celebrate 

the success and growth of a company that in so many ways 

is symbolic of a community that is truly identified as a smart 

place to live, work and play,” Poteat said. “I am proud to 

say that over the past 15 years ADT has certainly enhanced 

our community’s image.” 

ADT, which started in 1994 amid sharp budget cuts to 

military spending, developed 

a niche market and now has 

revenues of $27 million. The 

company’s lead product, Tactical 

Office ® Software Technology, 

serves as the core for all 

Army Air and Missile Defense 

Command Post Force Operations. The company added some 

50 employees this past year bringing its total headcount to 

170, according to ADT president Derrick Copeland, who was 

the 2007 winner of Entrepreneur of the Year at the Chamber’s 

Small Business Awards Celebration. 

“We have a principle that success is not the key to happiness; 

happiness is the key to success,” Copeland said. “When 

I started my business 15 years ago, at the age of 29, people 

thought I was crazy to start a business amid all the chaos [of 

budget cuts for the military]. Chaos is really opportunity. We 

L-R: Ron Poteat, vice chair for investor relations for the Chamber of Commerce Board of 

Directors, presents Applied Data Trends CEO Derrick Copeland a plaque commemorating the 

company’s 15 years in business. 

have grown a lot since then and have been recognized for 

our success, but the chaos has never stopped and neither 

have the opportunities.” 

Those new opportunities have led to increased business 

which in turn has led to the company winning numerous 

awards and recognitions. ADT was ranked on the Inc. 500 

list of fastest growing private companies in the nation at 

No. 101 in 2001 and in 2005 the company was named 

Small Business of the Year in the technology category by 

the Chamber. • 

Huntsville Hospital Ranked 9th 

Largest System in Nation 

Huntsville Hospital was recently ranked ninth largest public 

healthcare system in the nation by Modern Healthcare, a national 

healthcare business news weekly magazine. The list, featured 

in the June 15 issue, ranked hospital systems by the number 

of staffed acute-care beds reported in a 2009 survey. Huntsville 

Hospital was ninth on the list with 912 beds. It was the only 

system with two or fewer hospitals to make the top ten. • 

Business Travelers to Fly Direct 

from Rocket City to Windy City 

Huntsville International Airport recently announced United Airlines 

will offer two new daily roundtrip non-stop flights from 

Huntsville International Airport to Chicago O’Hare International 

Airport beginning Sept 2. The flights will be operated on 

50-seat regional jets, and will be operated by United Express 

partner Mesa. 

“We are thrilled that United is expanding its service at 

Huntsville International Airport to include Chicago, which will 

complement its existing daily service to Washington D.C. – 

Dulles and Denver,” said Mark McDaniel, chairman of the 

Huntsville International Airport Board of Directors. 

“Chicago is one of our top 20 markets and a major business 

travel destination for the Tennessee Valley region, so this additional 

non-stop service will provide our passengers with more 

choices when traveling to the Windy City.” • 

15 


Jackson Center features 

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technologically advanced with 

a Wireless Touch Panel Audio 

Visual System, Wireless 

Internet throughout the 

center, Video and Audio 

Conferencing capabilities. The 

conference center supports 

the development, coordination 

and implementation of 

professional, educational and 

research oriented conferences, 

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encouraging participation, 

interaction and stimulating 

innovative thinking. Our 

professional staff can 

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we will arrange all food & beverage requirements, complete meeting packages, hotel accommodations, and 

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CALL US ABOUT OUR HOLIDAY SPECIALS!!! 

THE PUB IS OPEN WEDNESDAYS FOR HAPPY HOUR 5PM-7PM!!! 

0000112993-01 



continued from page 15 

Leading High-Tech Aerospace Research Lab Expands in Huntsville 

Draper Laboratory, a not-for-profit research and development laboratory that employs more than 

850 engineers, scientists and technicians across the country in a broad array of programs for government 

and commercial sponsors, cut the ribbon on its new facility in Huntsville and announced 

its expansion in Huntsville. The lab hired 15 people in the last year and Draper officials announced 

plans to continue growing its presence in Huntsville. 

Darryl Sargent, vice president for programs at Draper Laboratory, explains that opening operations 

in Huntsville was an important move for the lab because of the work at Redstone Arsenal. 

Supervisory Development 

Begins September 21 

Draper, headquartered in Cambridge, Mass., has played an important role in every human 

spaceflight program since Apollo, including the Space Shuttle and Space Station, and today is 

working on the Ares-1 crew launch vehicle and other elements of Project Constellation. 

Darryl Sargent, vice president for programs at Draper Laboratory, said opening operations in 

Huntsville was an important move for the lab because of the work at Redstone Arsenal. 

“With the opportunity to work directly with Marshall on the Ares-1, the Laboratory made a 

strategic decision to open an office in Huntsville. It seems particularly appropriate that we are 

opening this office just as the nation prepares to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the Apollo 11 

lunar landing in July,” said Sargent. “We are proud to be part of the community of scientists and 

engineers that develop our nation’s space systems and provide the technology for our nation’s 

defense. We are looking forward to contributing our ideas and technologies to the needs of 

Marshall Space Flight Center, the Army and MDA here in Huntsville.” 

Don Nalley, chair-elect of the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County Board of 

Directors, welcomed Draper to the community. 

“I am proud to say that Draper Laboratory is enhancing our community’s image as a leading 

technology area – where innovation, entrepreneurship and technology have met and continue to 

forge our future. We are defined in many ways by the technology and the genius of those who 

helped put America into space and man on the moon,” Nalley said. We are so fortunate to have 

become a research and development hub for technology.” 

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle said Huntsville is a great fit for the lab. 

“We are very excited to have you here. This city is made for R&D and made for technology. 

This city is a great fit for Draper,” Battle said. “And we look forward to helping you grow and 

become an even bigger part of the community.” • 

If your goal as a supervisor, manager, or team leader is to increase individual and organizational productivity, then updating your skills is a must. Your ability to 

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Build leaders for your company! We can present these courses on a customized basis to meet your organization’s specific needs. 

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Begins September 17 

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The University of Alabama in Huntsville 

www.ConEd.uah.edu • 256.824.6015 • pdinfo@uah.edu 

Phone or visit our website today for complete details and easy registration! 

17 




Standard and Poor’s Upgrades Huntsville 

Utilities Water Bond Rating to AAA 

Citing low water rates and solid operating procedures, Standard and Poor’s 

(S&P) has upgraded Huntsville Utilities water bond rating from AA+ to AAA. 

Strong economic development within the system’s service area was also 

cited as a contributing factor. Other points influencing the rating agency’s 

opinion included the water system’s low water rate compared to regional and 

national peers, solid financial performance, strong management team and 

expanding customer base with above-average wealth and income levels. 

“This credit rating is a positive signal to the community and the financial 

sector that Huntsville Utilities has one of the very best water systems 

in America,” said Bill Pippin, CEO of Huntsville Utilities. 

The rating agency profiled local businesses with strong growth in the 

area as well as the low 2008 average unemployment rate and strong buying 

income levels as contributing factors to the area’s strength. 

S&P also noted the water system serves more than 82,000 customers 

within the city limits as well as supplying other area retail water providers. 

The analysis mentioned that “management has put tremendous effort into 

cost reduction” as well as noting “the water system has some of the lowest 

operating costs compared with those of its regional peers.” 

Over the years, the water department has been recognized by the 

Environmental Protection Agency, Alabama Department of Environmental 

Management, and Gov. Bob Riley for exceptional water quality and service to its customers. • 

Forbes Names Huntsville a Top 

Place for Recession Recovery 

Forbes recently named Huntsville the No. 4 Best Place for 

Recession Recovery in the Nation. The report highlights Huntsville’s 

economy being high-tech as well as the presence of 

Cummings Research Park, the second largest research park in 

the U.S. and fourth largest in the world, and NASA’s Marshall 

Space Flight Center. 

To determine the 10 cities poised for recovery, Forbes used 

data on gross domestic product from Moody’s Economy.com, 

unemployment and 

employment data from 

the Bureau of Labor 

Statistics, home prices and affordability from the National Association 

of Homebuilders and population data from the U.S. 

Census Bureau. Data are for Metropolitan Statistical Areas. 

Forbes wrote the following: 

“In a recession characterized by battered housing, banking 

and manufacturing markets, having an economy with a 

heavy focus on technology helps. Huntsville is home to one of 

the country’s largest research parks and a major NASA center 

(not to mention Space Camp).” 

Forbes has recognized Huntsville and Madison County 

several times in the past year, including: 

• “Leading Cities for Business,” April 2009 

• “Top Five Cites for Defense Jobs,” April 2009 

• “Best Place to Live to Weather the Economic Downturn” • 

Appleton Learning selected as 

National Finalist for Dell / NFIB 

Small Business Excellence Award 

Dell and NFIB (National Federation of Independent Businesses) 

announced that Appleton Learning was one of only 

10 companies nationally selected to be a finalist for the Small 

Business Excellence Award. This award recognizes small businesses 

that innovatively use technology to improve their customer 

experience and overall operations. 

The Huntsville company was selected out of 

more than 3,000 companies nationally 

for the honor. MBA students 

at George Washington 

University’s School of 

Business helped select the winner. Appleton, a tutoring 

and test prep provider, was selected as a finalist based 

on its innovative custom software system. 

“It is very unusual for a local tutoring company of our size 

to have invested in the creation of a completely new type of 

software. Our system allows us to manage hundreds of tutoring 

sessions efficiently and with a better customer experience 

than otherwise would be possible,” Glenn Clayton, founder, 

said. • 


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19 




U.S. Space & Rocket Center Wins Star Wars Exhibit 

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center was selected to host Star Wars: Where Science Meets Imagination. The exhibit is expected to 

have a major impact on both the state and local economies as thousands of tourists come to experience the exhibit. 

The U.S. Space & Rocket Center recently kicked off a oneyear 

campaign to welcome its newest exhibit to Alabama’s 

top tourist attraction. The world-renowned Star Wars: Where 

Science Meets Imagination exhibit will enter the Rocket City 

in July 2010. 

“We’ve got a year to get ready, so we’re going to have 

some fun with it,” said Larry Capps, the Space & Rocket Center’s 

CEO. “I suspect you may see some of the Star Wars 

characters pop up at venues across the state and all around 

the Southeast promoting this,” he added. 

At 12,000 square feet, it is the largest temporary exhibit 

in the Space Center’s history. It will fill the center’s original 

museum building with costumes, models and props from all 

six movies in the Star Wars saga, along with many interactive 

exhibits, hands-on displays and laboratories where guests can 

conduct their own scientific experiments on magnetic levitation 

and experience augmented virtual reality. Even a replica 

of the Millennium Falcon cockpit will be a part of the exhibit, 

where guests can experience a multimedia presentation about 

making the jump to light speed. 

Visitors will be able to see footage from the Star Wars 

saga and investigate the numerous parallels between technologies 

in the films and those in the real world. They will 

explore prototypes in progress and learn about the engineers 

and designers who are creating new technologies. Throughout 

the exhibit, visitors will learn about similarities between how 

scientists and filmmakers think. 

“This is a major coup for us. We’ve wanted this exhibit 

here for several years, and we’re delighted to be able to bring 

it to the Space & Rocket Center,” Capps said. 

In fact, it is a coup for all of Alabama. This exhibit is expected 

to draw thousands of additional visitors, which could 

translate into a substantial increase in sales for area hotels, 

restaurants and other attractions. Space Center officials are 

teaming up with the Huntsville/Madison County Convention 

& Visitor’s Bureau, the North Alabama Mountain Lakes Tourist 

Association and the Alabama Department of Tourism to 

maximize the potential benefit statewide as an effort to bring 

vacationing families to Alabama next summer. 

“From the mountains to the beaches, from Shakespeare 

to the space program, there’s so much to see and do in 

Alabama,” said Holly Beach, the USSRC’s vice president of 

marketing. “We see this as a means of bringing in additional 

families to spend a night or two here in North Alabama, and 

then perhaps continue their vacation through Birmingham, 

Montgomery, right down to the beaches,” she added. 

“We also anticipate a lot of families will schedule their 

time at Space Camp around a visit just to see this exhibit,” 

Beach said. “You’d be amazed at how many parents drive 

their children to our camp, drop them off and then spend the 

week in Florida or somewhere else before coming back for 

graduation. This gives us a better chance to direct them to 

some of the other attractions in Alabama, and keep them in 

Alabama a little longer.” • 


~ highlights compiled by John Southerland & Harrison Diamond 

Admin Taps Local Company for Input on Cyber Security 

Some local companies will benefit from increased spending for new defense 

initiatives - particularly cyber security. Such is the case for Huntsville-based Sentar, 

Inc. The company recently provided research on the topic for the Obama 

Administration’s official Cyberspace Policy Review. 

“Cyber security is a very high priority for President Obama,” said Peter 

Kiss, CEO and founder of Sentar, Inc. 

Obama directed a 60-day, comprehensive, “clean-slate” review to assess 

U.S. policies and structures for cyber security. Cyber security policy includes 

strategy, policy and standards regarding the security of and operations in cyberspace, 

and encompasses the full range of threat reduction, vulnerability 

reduction, deterrence, international engagement, incident response, resiliency, 

and recovery policies and activities, including computer network operations, 

information assurance, law enforcement, diplomacy, military and intelligence 

missions as they relate to the security and stability of the global information 

and communications infrastructure. 

Sentar representatives also serve as members of various federal level committees 

that shape strategy and policy objectives for the Administration, and 

Sentar is considered a “thought leader” in cyber security. The company was 

recently named one of the two prime contractors for the STARS-IO contract, 

which has a potential value of $24 million. Under that contract, Sentar will 

provide security-related analysis, test, evaluation and assessment support and 

program support for Department of Defense programs across information assurance, 

information operations and computer network defense activities. • 

Dynetics Wins Contract 

from Defense Intelligence 

Agency’s Missile and Space 

Intelligence Center 

The Defense Intelligence Agency/Missile and Space Intelligence 

Center (DIA/MSIC) recently awarded Dynetics a 

contract valued at $89 million to provide Defensive Systems 

Analysis. This is the fourth consecutive competitive win of 

this contract for Dynetics and marks the company’s 34th 

continuous year of support to DIA/MSIC. 

Dynetics will provide MSIC with technical analysis to assess 

the physical characteristics, performance, signatures, 

vulnerabilities and employment of Foreign Surface to Air 

Missile Systems, anti-tactical ballistic missile defense and 

ballistic missile defense systems. 

“Dynetics is honored to continue supporting DIA/MSIC 

in this challenging and important Scientific and Technical 

Intelligence mission area,” said Dr. Marc Bendickson, CEO 

of Dynetics. • 

21 


The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County hosts numerous events 

each month to create networking and business growth opportunities for members, 

and to coordinate efforts to grow our community. Examples of recent events 

include: 

Growth Through Networking 

Breakfast & Biz 

Summer Chamber 

Golf Classic 

June 26, presented by S 3 

– located at the Robert Trent Jones 

Golf Trail in Hampton Cove. 

SAIC had the winning team and 

Trideum’s Kurt Lessmann won 

a $1,000 travel voucher from 

Huntsville International Airport. 


June 16, sponsored by 

and located at Grille 29 

in Providence. 

Members enjoyed 

a great breakfast, 

networking and new 

business opportunities 

at the second B&B 

of 2009. 

Business After Hours 

June 30, sponsored by 

and located at The Westin 

at Bridge Street Town Centre. 

The room was filled to capacity 

with about 500 Chamber 

members, who used the 

opportunity to network and 

meet potential clients. 

Chamber members benefit from networking events, electronic and printed publications, 

educational programs for small business and perhaps most importantly, the 

knowledge that they are part of a collective effort to establish Huntsville/Madison 

County as a stronger, more visible community in the global competition for economic 

growth. 

Photo by J. Hanshaw Photography © Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County

Huntsville Prepares 

Welcome Mat 

for U.S. Friends and Allies 

Thanks to BRAC Move 

As a result of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure Act that 

will move thousands of jobs to Redstone Arsenal, Huntsville 

and Madison County, the community will have the distinct opportunity 

to host dignitaries from around the world that have the authority 

and the ability to purchase million-dollar defense systems 

and services for their countries. These prominent visitors will have 

high expectations for their trip to the United States Army’s headquarters 

for foreign military sales. Huntsville is an international city 

in its own right dating back to Wernher von Braun and his German 

rocket team calling the city home. With cosmopolitan residents 

and world class infrastructure and entities, the North Alabama region 

is a globally competitive community, but is all this visible to a 

first time foreign visitor upon arrival? 

Now is the time to make preparations for these special visitors 

and extend some true Southern Hospitality, according to one expert 

who knows first-hand the ins and outs of hosting, meeting and negotiating 

with foreign countries for sales of weapons and supplies. 

In fact, more than charm and hospitality are needed to make these 

guests feel welcome in the Rocket City. Participants at the 26th Annual 

World Trade Day Luncheon in Huntsville, hosted by the North 

Alabama International Trade Association (NAITA) and the Madison 

County Commission, heard firsthand what the community must do 

to embrace the opportunity of the U.S. Army Security Assistance 

Command (USASAC) moving to town and the inherent challenges 

that come with this move. This command is the Army’s focal point 

for all Foreign Military Sales (FMS), and the command is scheduled 

to finalize its move to Redstone Arsenal by 2011. 

NAITA had the honor of hosting that expert, Maj. 

Gen. (Retired) Bruce Scott, the former Commanding 

General of USASAC and current President of ITT 

Defense International, who was the World Trade Day 

keynote speaker. Scott has the unique perspective of 

Scott having led USASAC when it was headquartered at 

Ft. Belvoir, Va. He serves in private industry selling defense products 

and services to the U.S. Government for transfer to the nation’s allies 

through Security Assistance. Having hosted foreign dignitaries as the 

head of USASAC in Virginia, Scott shared his insight on what the 

community should consider in hosting these foreign visitors. 

Scott emphasized that the initial arrival at Huntsville International 

Airport must go smoothly to meet or exceed expectations. 

The foreign dignitaries who visit will be accustomed to arriving at 

Reagan National Airport in Washington D.C., being met by drivers, 

diplomats, and staff of their own Embassy to help make them 

feel right at home while making a nice transition to the U.S. Since 

these Embassies will not be relocating to Huntsville, this will not 

be the case here. Currently, Huntsville International Airport signs 

continued on page 27 

23 


1 

Getting into the FMS Game: 

FMS & Security Assistance at Redstone 

2 

Army Foreign Military Sales (FMS) is a big game with players 

from 140 different Armies, 47 Air Forces, 26 Navies and 26 other 

country entities – leading to strength in cooperation around the 

world. The U.S. Army Security Assistance Command (USASAC) 

currently manages 4,306 FMS cases valued at $95.5 billion. 

From 1994-2004, USASAC cases averaged $3.6 billion; in 2005- 

2006, sales were greater than $5 billion; in 2007 sales were 

more than $9 billion; 2008 sales exceeded $14.5 billion ($5.4B 

in support of Iraq and Afghanistan); and in the first quarter of 

2009, sales were already valued at $13.5 billion. These rapidly 

growing sales figures indicate that there is increasing business 

and more activity in this realm. The increase in regional conflicts 

around the world has led to the large increase in FMS cases – 

reflected in the increased contract awards for these cases. 

As the U.S. Army Materiel Command’s (AMC) executive 

agent for Security Assistance (SA)/Foreign Military Sales (FMS) 

Program, USASAC executes the security assistance mission in 

accordance with policies established by Congress and the Departments 

of State and Defense. USASAC, which is moving to 

Redstone Arsenal as a result of 2005 Base Realignment and 

Closure (BRAC), is responsible for life cycle program management 

of all Army Foreign Military Sales and assigned security 

cooperation materiel programs, and it enables other Army implementing 

agencies’ FMS efforts in support of U.S. national 

interests. USASAC handles the transfer of defense articles and 

services and military training. 

The Security Assistance Management Directorate (SAMD) at 

the U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command (AMCOM) – led 

by Dr. Thomas Pieplow, director – is responsible for managing 

the transfer and sustainment of 24 Army aviation and missile 

systems to more than 70 foreign nations and organizations. 

SAMD – one of several subordinate commands of USASAC 

– accomplishes its mission at Redstone Arsenal with a multicultural 

staff of more than 250 specialists who have consistently 

realized annual sales in excess of $3 billion and growing. 

While other commands are also involved, AMCOM is a major 

player in the FMS game, accounting for a large amount of total 

army sales to allied forces and friendly foreign nations. 



BRAC Update 

Editor’s Note: Working with the commands at Redstone Arsenal, Initiatives will continue to 

provide periodic updates on the status of the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) activities 

occurring at Redstone Arsenal. The updates will include the status and photos of facilities 

construction and personnel moves and timelines, along with other information of note. 

3 

Progress continues to be made related to the 2005 Base Realignment and Closure (BRAC) 

moves to Redstone Arsenal as facilities and position transfers remain on track to be completed 

and implemented by the close of fiscal year 2011. 

To accommodate the BRAC jobs moving onto the installation, nearly 1.5 million square 

feet of office buildings at a cost of approximately $435M will be constructed on Redstone 

Arsenal. Almost 1,700 of the nearly 4,700 “BRAC jobs” have already transitioned to Redstone 

as of May 2009. 

The U.S. Army 2nd Recruiting Brigade Headquarters and the U.S. Army 2nd Medical 

Recruiting Battalion Headquarters are the first success stories. Both organizations are fully 

operational with new facilities and all personnel in place. 

The Missile Defense Agency (MDA) will account for more than 2,200 of the BRAC relocating 

jobs. The first phase of MDA’s Von Braun Complex III building is on schedule to be 

completed in mid 2010; the second phase will be finished in late 2010. 

The relocation of the U.S. Army Materiel Command (AMC) and the U.S. Army Security Assistance 

Command (USASAC) will bring another 1,700 federal jobs. There are already about 

300 AMC and USASAC personnel here at Redstone. Construction of the headquarters is 

on track; starting in June, steel construction is 

well underway as evidenced by the crane now 

in place to move the steel beams. The AMC/ 

USASAC building is expected to be complete 

by early 2011. While several hundred AMC/ 

USASAC jobs will transfer to Redstone during 

2009, the majority of the job transfers will coincide 

with the opening of the new Headquarters 

facilities. 

The final BRAC construction projects are 

the headquarters and hangar facilities for a 

new organization, the Redstone Technical 

Center, created by the merger of the Fort Rucker-based 

Aviation Technical Test Center and 

the Redstone Arsenal-based Redstone Technical 

Test Center. There are two projects funded 

and planned for construction: a hangar/flight 

test support facility to house the additional 

aircraft, maintenance shops, and laboratories; 

and an administrative facility to facilitate the 

merger. The contract to construct both projects 

is scheduled to be awarded by the end of July. 

• Mike Ward 

4 

Photo 1: Construction of the four-star Army Materiel Command facility at Redstone is underway 

and on target. The relocation of AMC and the U.S. Army Security Assistance Command will 

bring about 1,700 federal jobs to the community. 

Photo 2: Photo 2: Not all construction at Redstone is confined to the 2005 BRAC. Construction 

is underway on the Department of Justice’s new National Center for Explosives Training and 

Research. The facility will be completed in 2010 and consist of three explosives ranges, eight 

classrooms, laboratories, a conference facility and office space. 

Photos 3 & 4: Two views of the ongoing construction of the Missile Defense Agency’s Von Braun 

III 800,000-plus square foot facility. The construction will be done in two phases with both 

being completed in late 2010. The entire Von Braun federal complex will hold more than 

5,000 employees. 

25 


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Huntsville Prepares Welcome Mat, continued from page 23 – 

are in English, which is a major business language 

around the world, but it may not be the 

language of the entire travelling party, Scott 

said. Rental cars and hotel rooms should be 

more plentiful, as these groups may want to 

rent an entire fleet of cars or a floor of rooms. 

Hotel staff, others in the hospitality industry, 

and business people should be prepared to 

welcome these visitors who may have special 

needs. An awareness and ability to meet those 

needs must be fostered, which in itself may 

be a tremendous business opportunity for entrepreneurs 

in the community, Scott said. 

“First and foremost is cultural sensitivity,” 

according to Scott, “and taking time to let them 

get to know you.” Local hosts should be aware 

of obvious issues like language of the travelers 

and special diets, but there are also less obvious 

issues like holy days in foreign countries 

and needs of the family and entourage who 

may travel with the delegation to the U.S. The 

accompanying family and staff will often want 

to spend extended time here – to see sites, 

dine in restaurants, and tour the area. And 

that is where the Huntsville/Madison County 

community may have a great advantage. As 

Scott pointed out, “the warmth of this community 

is far greater than in D.C,” and he said 

Huntsville has “a tremendous advantage being 

a great town with lots to offer.” Scott called attention 

to some of Huntsville’s star attractions, 

including the U.S. Space & Rocket Center and 

Space Camp, the Robert Trent Jones Golf Trail, 

Bridge Street Town Centre, and the new Westin 

hotel – as well as the warmth and hospitality 

of the entire North Alabama community compared 

to the National Capital Region. 

Possible solutions to the challenges faced by 

the community as a result of USASAC’s move 

include a partnership of entities, like the Chamber 

of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, 

Chambers from across the Tennessee Valley, 

NAITA, and Team Redstone helping to educate 

the community on international business and 

cultural issues. Several existing organizations, 

including the International Services Council of 

Alabama, Huntsville International Society, and 

various cultural groups may also get involved 

in working with the city, county, and others to 

accommodate our distinguished guests. General 

Scott suggested working with international 

groups in the community who could provide 

assistance for visitors from the same part of the 

world. International business takes time, especially 

when dealing with the large contracts 

involved in FMS cases (see FMS and Security 

Assistance at Redstone on page 24). USASAC 

handled about $14 billion in contracts in 2008, 

and earlier this year they had already surpassed 

that amount with an additional $7 billion worth 

of contracts. The U.S. Government is working 

to train and equip foreign militaries to take care 

of their responsibilities, and USG takes very seriously 

the relationship between the two countries 

when negotiating these sales. 

The bottom line is that FMS impacts national 

security strategy goals. For Huntsville, 

a positive first impression and continued positive 

visits will go far in creating relationships 

and future economic development benefits 

for the community. As has been shown in the 

past thanks to the presence of more than 50 

foreign-owned businesses in the Huntsville/ 

Madison County community, the sky is not the 

limit for international business in Huntsville, 

and the dollar volume of FMS cases handled 

here is equally limitless. 

• Amanda P. Berkey 

Sr. International Trade Specialist 

Madison County Commission/NAITA 

Planning & Economic Development 

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27 


Winning Over YPs 

Bridges Changes Hearts, Minds About Huntsville Area 

The Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County’s Bridges program provides information to 

young professionals about living, working and playing in the community. However, the program is also 

an opportunity for the community and the Chamber to receive information from YP’s to better promote 

the community as a smart place to live, work and play. To date, Bridges has served seven classes of 

co-ops, interns and recent college graduates in the past three years, and many of them have gone on to 

give back to the Chamber and the community. The following five Bridges participants were selected to 

share their thoughts about the Huntsville/Madison County community as well as the Bridges program: 

Amanda Elliot 

Junior Designer, 

Panciera Design 

BFA in Graphic Design, 

Auburn University, 2008 

Bridges Class 6 

Growing up, I felt like Huntsville 

had little to offer to young 

people. I honestly came back 

thinking Huntsville would be 

an interim between college and 

my first job. I started working at Panciera 

and quickly found that much had changed 

during my time at Auburn. I am currently 

involved in several organizations that I 

would not have found out about had it not 

been for the Bridges program, and I really 

enjoy living in Huntsville. 

Like most other YPs, I am looking for a 

fun, energetic city that is easy to get around 

and keeps me entertained without breaking 

the bank. I think Huntsville offers a lot. 

There is always something going on. You 

may have to look a little harder than in bigger 

cities, but there are plenty of things to 

do. Huntsville has a ton of wonderful local 

restaurants featuring live music, great food 

and local beers. 

Amanda Elliot cleans a donated toy at 

Christmas Charities, part of a Bridges 

service project. 

Bridges reminded me of 

things that I had forgotten 

about during my five years 

away at Auburn and clued 

me in to things I didn’t even 

know existed. While going 

through the Bridges program 

I learned that Research Park is 

one of the largest in the country, about the 

Huntsville Land Trust and the Arts Council 

and many other organizations and volunteer 

opportunities. 

Charleen Laughlin 

Senior Consultant, Booz Allen Hamilton 

BS in engineering, Olin College, 2007. 

Pursuing dual master’s degrees in 

engineering and business administration 

through Purdue & Indiana Universities. 


I’m an Army brat, so I was lucky enough to 

grow up all over the world. My parents retired 

here when I went off to college, so after 

I graduated, I moved here to be closer to my 

family. I also knew Huntsville was a great 

place to start my career as an engineer. In 

Boston, I lived within walking distance of 

restaurants, theaters, and stores, but my 

commute was an hour each way and the 

cost of living was very expensive. Huntsville 

is smaller and more spread out, but still offers 

many of the same amenities you’d find 

in a bigger city, like museums, malls, and 

diverse restaurants. 

Living here is very affordable, especially 

compared to Boston; my husband and I 

were able to buy a house sooner than we 

might have elsewhere. Huntsville also offers 

many opportunities to get involved, whether 

this means taking art classes, volunteering, 

or joining a lacrosse team. Working in 

Huntsville is particularly exciting because 

we are a technology/engineering center that 

serves so many different markets, from defense 

to biomedical. The work is challenging 

and incredibly relevant: what we do 

matters and that is both fulfilling and motivating. 

Personally, I really enjoy working for 

Booz Allen, partly because of its employee 

focus and corporate values, but also because 

Huntsville is an exciting place to be right 

now with any employer. 

Bridges introduced me to aspects of 


Huntsville I did not know about, like 

the local music and theater scene. I also 

learned about different organizations 

where I could get involved to meet other 

young people, like Huntsville Young 

Professionals. 

Adam Kimberlin 

NASA Co-op 

Senior studying mechanical 

engineering at Tennessee 

Technological University 


In terms of ‘live,’ Huntsville has got it right. 

Cost of living and infrastructure are fantastic. 

The museums here are great and the 

public areas such as Bridge Street are excellent 

places to just get out and relax, catch a 

movie, shop, eat, etc. 

For ‘work,’ I look for things out of the 

ordinary. I look for tasks that are constantly 

changing and making me adapt. Fortunately, 

I have been able to say that my job here has 

been nothing short of a passion ever since 

I started last year. With that said, there are 

interesting jobs floating around all over this 

city, so it wouldn’t be hard to find something 

to like. 

I really enjoy the outdoors so this area is 

heaven for me. I like to go caving whenever 

I get the chance and I also like to go hiking. 

There are some really nice trails at Monte 

Sano State Park and then there are places a 

little ways outside of town like the Walls of 

Jericho near Hytop, which is an absolutely 

amazing hike. Then there are things like 

rock climbing and whitewater rafting that 

are very close by. We usually try to get a 

group of interns here at Marshall to go rafting 

at some point during the summer. Last 

summer, we had roughly 40 people raft the 

Olympic section of the Ocoee and they all 

had a blast. 

When I first moved here, I had really 

never even heard of Huntsville to be totally 

honest; however, I knew that this town was 

far from ordinary from the moment I drove 

into town and saw the mighty Saturn V along 

the interstate and then all the companies in 

Cummings Research Park. Then through 

the Chamber’s Bridges program and NASA’s 

orientations, I got a glimpse at how truly 

Adam Kimberlin and 

Charleen Laughlin 

participate in the ropes 

course at the U.S. Space 

and Rocket Center as 

part of the Bridges 

program. 

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www.calhoun.edu 

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Your Future. 

0000100646-01 

0000100646-01 1 11/3/09 4:03:09 PM 


29 


Bridges Built to Help, 

continued from page 29 – 

amazing this town really is. Then, the 

statistics you hear really stick in your 

mind. Seeing how this city stacks up 

against other cities around the country 

Craig Gilmore (center, 

really gives you a feel for how fortunate 

you are to be living here. 

standing) and his 

teammates complete a 

Even though Huntsville’s glory days 

challenge on the ropes 

were back in the 60s and 70s, I think 

course at the U.S. Space and 

this town has yet to see its finest hour, 

Rocket Center, a component 

and I can’t wait to be a part of it. I 

of the Bridges “play” day. 

love this city and wouldn’t want to 

live anywhere else. 

Craig Gilmore 

Project Manager, 

Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc. 

BA Electrical Engineering with a 

concentration in computer science, 

Alabama A&M University, 2006. 


Born and raised in Detroit, I was attracted 

here by the affordability of Alabama A&M 

University’s accredited courses in electrical 

engineering. I look for diversity in a community 

and like being around people with 

different backgrounds and opinions. I enjoy 

most being around people when the only 

thing that is common is the drive to want 

more in life. 

Bridges provided me with more resources 

that I never knew existed in the city. There 

is much more to do than meets the eye, and 

Huntsville gives you more “bang for your 

buck” than most cities. Although I have only 

lived in Detroit and Huntsville, I frequently 

visit other cities, especially larger metropolitan 

cities, and they make me appreciate 

Huntsville more each time. 

• Compiled by Lucia Cape 

For more information and 

to submit your application for 

the Bridges program: 

www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA. 

com/workforce/bridges.html 

Contact Mitzi Floyd 

for more information: 

mfloyd@hsvchamber.org 


Teledyne Brown Engineering 

Expands its Legacy 

as a Leading Technology-Based Engineering 

and Manufacturing Company 

At a time when advanced manufacturing 

is experiencing a downturn, Huntsville’s 

Teledyne Brown Engineering, Inc., is bucking 

the national trend by capturing the title 

of Alabama’s Large Manufacturer of the Year 

and expanding its manufacturing business. 

“Manufacturing has become about onefifth 

of our total business revenue in Huntsville,” 

Geveden said. “We had 50 to 60 people 

in manufacturing in 2007. Today we are at 

300. Not only are we going against the trend, 

we are in a growth trajectory and we expect 

that to continue.” 

Why is this company different from other 

manufacturing companies? One reason 

could be that Teledyne Brown continues to 

be a leading technology innovator. It has 

carved a niche for itself as a mid-sized, agile 

company that can take a napkin sketch, 

transform it into a design, develop a prototype 

and manufacture the product at either 

of its two manufacturing plants. 

“That is definitely a competitive differentiator 

for us,” Geveden 

said. “It is a strategy of 

ours to tie engineering 

and manufacturing together. 

This allows us 

to manufacture highly engineered complex 

systems in support of Department of Defense 

(DoD), NASA and nuclear products.” 

An example of this strategy is the company’s 

contract to build a Joint Material Decontamination 

System (JDMS) for DoD. The 

system will handle chemical, biological, and 

nuclear decontamination of sensitive electronic 

equipment, electronics, and enclosed areas. 

Teledyne Brown is taking this project from 

concept to manufactured hardware to field 

support and operations. 

The company recently shipped its 100th 

PAC-3 Missile Round Trainer (MRT) to the 

U.S. Army. These simulator training units – 

when redesigned by Teledyne Brown shortened 

the production schedule and reduced 

costs. Geveden pointed out other areas of 

TBE’s manufacturing focus: 

• Hardware for space programs such as external 

payloads and equipment on the International 

Space Station, for example, and roll 

control motors for the Ares I rockets; 

• Nuclear, which constitutes the biggest 

percentage of sales associated with the production 

of gas centrifuge models; and 

• Commercial “This is a priority for us 

too. The other companies in Teledyne Technologies 

(TBE’s parent company) see us as the 

manufacturing hub.” 

Teledyne Brown’s manufacturing expertise is 

paying off in statewide recognition. The company 

was recently selected Alabama’s “Manufacturer 

of the Year” in the large manufacturer 

category by The Alabama Technology Network 

and the Business Council of Alabama. 

Alabama Gov. Bob Riley gave the award in 

recognition of a company’s superior performance 

in the areas of operational excellence, 

Nuclear waste storage containers, pictured, are an example 

of nuclear-qualified manufacturing done by Teledyne Brown. 

They are used by Washington Savannah River Company to 

store high-level nuclear waste material in vitrified glass. continued on page 32 

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31 


Teledyne Brown Engineering, continued from page 31 – 

ABOVE: The AQS-20 Towed Body Mid-Section, shown, is being machined at Teledyne 

Brown’s manufacturing facilities under contract to Raytheon’s AQS-20A program. 

BELOW (l-r): Bill Canary, Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle, Gov. Bob Riley, TBE’s 

President Rex Geveden and Alabama Technology Network President Mike Bailey 

celebrate TBE being named “Large Manufacturer of the Year” in Alabama. 

leadership, profitable growth, continuous improvement, customer focus, employee 

commitment and investment in training and retraining. 

“Huntsville has a reputation for excellence in engineering and analysis. This 

award is an indication of Huntsville and North Alabama’s emergence as a manufacturing 

power in the southeast,” Geveden said. 

Business Council of Alabama president and CEO Bill Canary praised TBE for 

its ability to respond to changes in the marketplace. 

“In a field of strong competition, Teledyne Brown’s close attention to shifts in 

a dynamic marketplace, and its ability to respond rapidly while staying focused 

on quality and customer service were among its many strengths,” said Canary. 

Five other Madison County companies were nominated for this year’s award: 

STI Electronics, Phoenix Industries, ADTRAN, PPG and Tara Manufacturing. 

“To win with this kind of competition is really something,” Geveden said. 

“And they are all great companies – we are fortunate that we do not compete in 

the same space with any of them.” 

Geveden emphasized that the company’s success, including the manufacturing 

segment, is thanks to the hard work and competence of its employees. 

The company has been very pro-active in attracting a workforce that is highly 

skilled and shares its corporate vision. 

Innovation applies here as well. Teledyne Brown recently remodeled its facilities 

to modernize their appearance adding hardwood flooring and contemporary 

furnishings. It offers employees an incentivized wellness program, oncampus 

gym, exercise classes, a styling salon, a 10-year management training 

program for junior employees, and an engineering fellows program as well. 

It could be the reason why the company captured another award recently – 

one of Huntsville’s 2009 Best Places to Work. 

• John Southerland 

Congratulations Team QuantiTech! 

Ingenuity, Inc. 

The ArmbrusterGroup,LLC 


On the Award of the Army Aviation and Missile Command’s EXPRESS 

Blanket Purchase Agreement for Business and Analytical Support Services

For nearly five decades, Alabama and Boeing 

have shared a partnership of innovation, 

growth and prosperity. Today, more than 3,000 

Boeing Alabama employees and thousands more 

in supplier companies across the state help 

create the world’s most advanced aerospace 

products. It’s a partnership with a proud past 

and a soaring future. 

*2006 Economic Impact Study, University of Alabama 

Center for Business and Economic Research 

33 


Small Business: 

Foundation of Economic Growth 

Owning a business is a dream for many. 

But, it takes someone with an ironclad 

stomach to actually turn the dream into a reality 

and become a hero to those who wish they 

had the guts to do it. Small business owners 

employ more than half of the American 

workforce and account for nearly 60 percent 

of the net new jobs created annually. Locally, 

those numbers don’t change much. According 

to the latest figures released by the Small 

Business Administration, small businesses 

make up almost 90 percent of employers in 

the state and accounted for almost 50 percent 

of the net new jobs. The entrepreneurial spirit 

lies at the core of the Huntsville/Madison 

County community’s economy and identity. 

In fact, Huntsville was recognized as an entrepreneur 

hotspot by Entrepreneur Magazine. 

And as the U.S. economy shows signs that it 

is recovering from the recession, clearly it is 

the local small business owner who can take 

pride in this accomplishment. 

And people may be surprised to learn that 

the number of small business owners has actually 

increased during a national economic 

recession, according to Joanne Randolph, 

president of the Women’s Business Center 

of North Alabama (WBCNA). “The demand 

for our services is up. Last year, the WBCNA 

counseled and trained more than 1,300 individuals,” 

she said. 

People start new businesses for many reasons: 

control of their own destiny; they are 

tired of being “right-sized”; or they simply 

want to be their own boss. Because of the 

strong aerospace and defense industry in this 

region, many budding entrepreneurs start a 

business to do business with government. In 

addition, Randolph says that she is starting to 

see a growing trend in people starting homebased 

businesses because they want to work 

from home and are tired of commuting. 

Whatever the industry, small business owners 

face many challenges. While many start a 

business based on a skill or a trade they know 


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Intuitive Research and Technology 

Celebrates 10 years with National Award 

The current year has so far been a year of 

No. 1’s for Huntsville/Madison County. 

The City of Huntsville started the year off by 

receiving Standard & Poor’s highest bond rating 

possible – AAA. Fast forward a few months 

later and Huntsville was named the No. 1 City 

in the Nation by Kiplinger’s Personal Finance. 

But the top recognitions keep coming this 

way. Huntsville Utilities’ Water Department 

was also upgraded to Standard & Poor’s highest 

rating when it was awarded AAA status. 

But these top rankings are not restricted 

to the community and public utilities. One 

of Huntsville’s very own companies – Intuitive 

Research and Technology Corporation – 

also secured a top-national ranking. Intuitive 

recently celebrated 10 years of business and 

capped off that anniversary by winning the 

Small Business Administration’s highest honor 

for contractors – the 2009 National Small 

Business Prime Contractor of the Year. 

“Welcome to the House of Intuitive.” 

That would be a sign that sums up the 

atmosphere of Intuitive, a local engineering 

company founded by long-time friends A.R. 

“Rey” Almodóvar and Harold R. “Hal” Brewer 

10 years ago. Intuitive is not just a business. 

Instead, it is almost a culture. 

Almodóvar and Brewer founded Intuitive 

after long careers in civil service working for 

The U. S. Army Aviation and Missile Research 

Development and Engineering Center (AMR- 

DEC). The two decided to start a business that 

would be a premiere engineering and analytical 

services company. What started out as a twoperson 

operation out of a house turned into a 

150-employee, multiple-award winning corporation. 

But if you ask the two co-founders of Intuitive 

what has changed in those 10 years, you 

get a simple answer – “We have more people.” 

A steady stream of work has led to fast 

growth for the company. Since its inception, 

Intuitive has seen annual growth rates of 50 

percent. As the company has grown, it has been 

recognized many times for its work and hiring 

practices. AARP has twice named Intuitive one 

of the country’s “50 Best Employers for Workers 

Over 50,” and the Chamber of Commerce 

L-R: Rey Almodóvar, Intuitive CEO; Mitchell Morand, SBA Director of District IV; Hal Brewer, Intuitive president, display the 

company’s SBA Prime Contractor of the Year Award at a reception held at The Westin in Bridge Street Town Centre. 

of Huntsville/Madison County has recognized 

them as a top employer for the past two years. 

But Brewer is quick to point out that winning 

the awards came after hard work. 

“We have gotten tons of awards but it hasn’t 

been all glamorous,” says Brewer. “It’s not always 

easy to find the right people at the right 

time to quickly respond to customer needs.” 

Commitment to its customers and employees 

led to the award from the SBA. Intuitive 

held a special awards reception in 

Huntsville after winning the award. Customers, 

employees and friends of the company 

all gathered at the Westin to celebrate the 

SBA win, and also toast to the first decade 

of business. 

Huntsville Mayor Tommy Battle congratulated 

the company for its accomplishment. 

“To Intuitive, I say job well done. We just 

had six of the 10 finalists for ‘Alabama Manufacturer 

of the Year’ announced from Madison 

County and now we have Intuitive being 

named the No. 1 company in the country 

through the SBA process in the No. 1 city in 

the nation. We have done well. You have really 

made us a shining star in the state and 

we wish you the best of luck,” Battle said. 

U.S. Army Aviation and Missile Command 

Deputy to the Commanding General Ronnie 

Chronister, whom the company explained 

was instrumental in the nomination of Intuitive 

for the award, said the win was significant 

because a Huntsville company received 

the distinction. 

“This community would not be what it is 

without companies like Intuitive. We applaud 

Intuitive. Now what are you going to do next 

year?” 

Mitchell Morand, SBA Director of District 

IV, formally presented Intuitive the award at 

the reception. He explained the process of 

how Intuitive was selected among the thousands 

of nominees. 


35 


Intuitive Research and Technology, continued from page 35 – 

“David Seitz of AMCOM submitted information 

about Intuitive among thousands of 

firms. Once the nominations were submitted, 

Intuitive competed with several larger 

primes across the Southeast [District IV],” 

Morand said. After Intuitive’s success in the 

regional competition, the company was eligible 

to compete for the national honor. 

“This honor is well deserved. Intuitive 

won the competition based on it management 

style and employees – its greatest asset. This 

award is not just for Intuitive, but this is truly 


an award for the community,” Morand said. 

Intuitive has already made plans for the 

next 10 years as the company continues to 

grow and look into new opportunities. 

“I see us bigger in 10 years. We set out to 

establish a premier engineering and analytical 

services company. We set up a road map 10 

years ago and we have done a good job of following 

it. I would like to see us move into the 

non-military industry,” Brewer said. 

Brewer sees the Department of Defense creating 

spin-off companies in the community 

the way NASA did in the 60s and continues 

to do today. 

Almodóvar says Army hardware sustainment 

will be a major opportunity for the 

company when the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan 

are finished. 

“I would like to see us less in services and 

more into hardware. Sustainment of equipment 

as it comes in from Iraq and Afghanistan 

will be a large project,” he said. “ If you look at 

other businesses, once you get to a certain size 

you need to move into hardware integration 

in order to sustain your employee base.” 

No matter what direction the company takes, 

employees will be at the center of its growth. 

According to Brewer, Intuitive’s retention 

rate is 90 percent. Of the 10 percent who 

leave Intuitive, 90 percent of those go on to 

work for the government. Those who don’t 

work for the government might start their 

own company. “Intuitive has been very fond 

of mentoring those who start their own companies. 

If someone has a niche skill, we can 

use them,” Brewer said. That commitment to 

employees has made the company a winner 

two years in a row at the Chamber of Commerce 

of Huntsville/Madison County’s Best 

Place to Work ceremony. 

Both laud the support they have gotten 

from local community leaders and commend 

the tremendous infrastructure in this area from 

its universities, banks and insurance companies 

to real estate companies that know how 

to support and foster small businesses. Both 

Almodóvar and Brewer agree that Huntsville 

provides the near perfect environment for 

starting up a high -technology business. 

Ray Kendall has been with the company 

for seven years. He proudly says that he was 

employee number 13. He worked at several 

different engineering firms ranging from 

small businesses to large corporations. Kendall 

recalls that when he first joined the company 

things were still new and he was a bit 

nervous. 

“When it was a small company it was a little 

scary. Rey and Hal’s planning and hard work 

have kept the company a good place to work,” 

Kendall said. He said that numbers have been 

the only thing to change around Intuitive. 

“We share a lot of pride because we are 

an engineering company in Huntsville, the 

engineering Mecca. I feel proud to work here 

and proud to wear my Intuitive shirt,” Kendall 

said about the award. 

• Harrison Diamond

Small Business, continued from page 34 – 

well such as engineering support services, 

welding or cosmetology, what they often do 

not realize is that having the skill and the 

knowledge in a specific area of expertise is 

only half of the equation. The real challenge 

is in learning how to run a successful business. 

“It is easy to start a business. The hard 

part is making money and staying in business,” 

said Randolph. 

Several years ago, the Chamber of Commerce 

of Huntsville/Madison County formed 

the Community-wide Small Business Coalition 

to bring together local organizations that 

were trying to serve the multitude of needs of 

small business owners. The Coalition forged 

partnerships among the participating organizations 

and quickly determined where there 

were overlaps and where there were gaps in 

services. “Our small business members were 

asking us to help them help themselves and 

we asked them to tell us what they needed,” 

said Jenni Jeffers, director of Small Business 

Services for the Chamber. 

According to Jeffers, the Chamber’s Small 

Business programs are carefully designed to 

provide assistance, information, networking 

opportunities and opportunities for growth 

for small and home-based businesses. “As a 

result of this increased communication and 

partnering, we have been better able to serve 

our small business community and provide 

meaningful help to budding entrepreneurs 

all the way up to the seasoned small business 

owner,” she said. 

Thanks to the increased partnership and a 

need to provide onsite expertise, in 2008 the 

WBCNA co-located with the Chamber. Recognized 

as the 2007 Non-Profit of the Year by 

the Chamber, WBCNA services include startup 

assistance and nurturing, counseling and 

formal mentoring, access to reduced-rate services, 

referrals to other resources, access to financing, 

business training, and a ready-made 

network of contacts. Their flagship program, 

FastTrac ® began as a way to help small business 

owners delve into every aspect of running 

a business. “We have people enrolled in 

these classes that are just getting started all the 

way up to businesses that have been open for 

many years and are multi-million dollar industries 

and many will say I didn’t know what 

I didn’t know,” said Randolph. 

This year, many of the organizations supporting 

small businesses have been focusing 

on survival in a recession and giving 

small business owners the tools to not only 

survive but to thrive in this tough economy. 

Much of this effort focuses on marketing and 

the importance of developing an effective plan. 

“Often marketing budgets are the first thing 

to be cut, but the last place they should cut,” 

said Felicia Sparks, vice president and CFO at 

Cre8ive Partners. Proof of this is a marketing 

study conducted by McGraw-Hill in the 1980s 

that showed companies that maintained or increased 

their marketing budgets in a recession 

thrived for years after a recession. 

The Huntsville economy continues to grow 

and opportunities abound for people with 

smart ideas and smart implementation. Together 

with fortitude and tenacity, small 

business owners in Huntsville and Madison 

County work hard, put their plans to the 

test, and succeed like no other small business 

owners in the country. Thanks to those efforts, 

our community continues to be among 

the nation’s leaders in job growth and opportunities, 

proving that small business owners 

are some of the true heroes in Huntsville. 

• Loren Traylor 

37 



of Huntsville/Madison County 

Staff 2009 

Brian Hilson, president & CEO 

John Southerland, communications director 

Kristi Sherrard, graphic designer 

Laura Kendrick, executive assistant 

Economic Development 

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Ethan Hadley, VP, economic development 

Steve Finnell, director, industrial development/ 

existing industry 

Rick Davis, director, Cummings Research Park 

Harrison Diamond, economic development 

coordinator 

Amy Locke, industrial development/existing 

industry assistant 

Governmental Affairs 

Mike Ward, VP, governmental affairs 

Tina Leopold, governmental affairs assistant 

Workforce 

Lucia Cape, VP, workforce 

Mark Brown, director, workforce recruitment 

Mitzi Floyd, workforce coordinator 

Investor Relations 

Loren Traylor, VP, investor relations 

Jenni Jeffers, director, 

small business/membership services 

Terrie Ledbetter, membership sales representative 

Donna McCrary, investor relations specialist 

Brittany Taylor, events coordinator 

Research & Information Services 

Ken Smith, director, 

research & information services 

Hiroko Sedensky, 

web designer/research specialist 

Kathleen Byrne, information services specialist 

Finance & Administration 

Christy Nalley, director, finance & administration 

Jamie Gallien, IT manager 

Cassie Scott, accounting specialist 

Joe Watson, facilities supervisor 

Associated Organizations 

Leadership Huntsville/Madison County 

Small Business Development Center 

Alabama A&M University, UAHuntsville 

WBCNA (Women’s Business Center of North Alabama) 


225 Church Street, Huntsville, AL 35801 

phone 256-535-2000 / fax 256-535-2015 

www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA.com

Waving of the Checkered Flag 

Community, Businesses, Organizations All Win 

the 2009 TRC Race for the Championship 

What happens when a group of more than 100 highly energized 

volunteers put pedal to the medal to compete in selling 

sponsorships and events to companies and organizations while serving 

to promote economic development? According to 2009 Total 

Resource Campaign Chair Harry Waugh the answer is simple: “An 

incredible campaign that benefited participants and the community 

and far exceeded the top speed reached on any speedway.” 

The Total Resource Campaign allows companies to efficiently 

align their marketing budgets with the many sponsorship opportunities 

for events and publications available through the Chamber of 

Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County each year. These sponsorships 

are sold over an eight-week cycle so companies can maximize 

their return on investment and specifically sponsor events and activities 

that make the most sense for them. 

As the Chamber’s 2009 TRC race approached the checkered flag, 

Waugh announced that a TRC record $1.6 million had been raised. 

With 14 teams crossing the finish line, the Repeat-O-Fenders driven 

by co-captains Joe Green, SAIC and Regina Underwood, A Realty 

Group, led their team to victory by raising $345,843 – another TRC 

record. Having a record-setting year in an economic downturn illustrates 

the strength of the Huntsville/Madison County economy, 

according to Ron Poteat, Regions area president and Chamber vice 

chair for investor relations. 

“In these times, it is absolutely amazing what we were able to accomplish 

through this effort and it speaks to the strength and fabric 

of our economy and community,” Poteat said at the final victory 

celebration sponsored by Monaco Pictures. 

“This outstanding TRC effort, which includes Chamber staff and 

business volunteers, is perhaps the best TRC in the country. This 

record year shows that when you put the best and brightest together 

to accomplish a common goal, nothing can stop the momentum. It 

is so critical that everyone understand that our economic development 

growth depends on people like you,” Poteat said. 

The 2009 campaign surpassed the announced goal of $1.2 million 

announced in April by almost 35 percent and surpassed the 

2008 results by more than $100,000. 

“This campaign allows our Chamber, which is the lead economic 

development organization in Huntsville/Madison County, to spend 

more money on helping grow our economy through targeted industry 

and workforce recruitment. And this investment also allows 

organizations the opportunity to more effectively and strategically 

market their products and services and create more visibility for 


ABOVE: Volunteers celebrate record breaking success at Monaco Pictures and commemorate 

the end of the campaign. 

LEFT: Chad Rogers and Shannon Drake 

learn their way around the Chamber 

during a TRC Chamber challenge. 

BELOW: Harry Waugh, 2009 TRC Chair, 

Regions Bank, thanks all of the volunteers and 

staff for their efforts during the eight week 

campaign. 

39 


Waving of the Checkered Flag, continued from page 39 – 

their organizations, which creates opportunities 

for more growth. And these volunteers 

are incredible. What they do on behalf of 

their Chamber is phenomenal. They make 

this possible – and because of their excitement 

and enthusiasm, we are seeing new 

records every year” said Chamber President/ 

CEO Brian Hilson. 

For the first time in the five-year campaign, 

there was a change on the leader 

board. Joe Green, the third place finisher for 

the past three years, was crowned 2009 Top 

Jason E. Clowers Jennifer F. Broom David L. Little 

Managing Director Registered Client Associate Financial Consultant 

Hope M. Wisner 

Financial Advisor 

Tara L. Rousseau 

Client Associate 

525 Madison St. • Huntsville, AL 35801 

256-564-6460 • 800-233-2161 

Volunteer and raised more than $100,000. 

He was followed by the top producer from 

the previous four campaigns, Carrie McCrillis, 

Kelly Services, who raised $75,533. Lee 

Lester, Regions Bank, was close on McCrillis’ 

bumper in third place with $72,380. In addition 

to winning the individual title, Green 

also was able to ensure that his entire team 

met their personal goals. 

Bandit and the Dames of Thunder, led by 

team captain Lisa Lane, Savvy Gifts, came in 

second with $317,474. The Grease Monkeys, 

of Wells Fargo Advisors 

Securities and Insurance Products: 

NOT INSURED BY FDIC OR ANY FEDERAL GOVERNMENT AGENCY • MAY LOSE VALUE • NOT A DEPOSIT OF OR GUARANTEED BY A BANK OR ANY BANK AFFILIATE 

©2009 Wachovia Securities, LLC, Member SIPC, is a registered-broker and a separate non-bank affiliate of Wells Fargo Company. 0409-3771 [75790-v1] 5/09 

led by Patti Holmes, CaptialSouth Bank, finished 

third by raising $190,528 – almost double 

the original goal set by team members. 

Holmes also took the Volunteer Choice 

Award – awarded thanks to a vote of all TRC 

volunteers because of her enthusiasm, teamspirit 

and willingness to assist all TRC teams 

and volunteers throughout the campaign. 

Holmes has been a volunteer since the inception 

of the campaign and continues to 

provide outstanding service and leadership 

to the companies she works each year. 

“This year, the staff and the volunteers 

really seemed to come together as one 

team. Over the past four years that I have 

participated, I have really gained tremendous 

knowledge of what the Chamber does 

to grow our community and it makes me 

proud to know that I have been an integral 

part of a program that makes that happen,” 

said Holmes. 

Natalie Steelman of Bama Jammer took 

home the “2009 Top Rookie Award” based 

on her impressive showing in her first year 

of the campaign and established herself as 

one to watch for the 2010 campaign. 

Waugh said his goal for 2009 was to get 

more volunteers involved and engaged, increase 

the foundation of the campaign and 

ensure that all participants had fun while 

learning a little NASCAR trivia along the 

way. 

“The energy and enthusiasm from the 

start was contagious and enabled us to far 

surpass our expectations. The Chamber 

support for the volunteers was incredible 

and allowed us to be successful. In addition, 

I think our members now know that 

our TRC allows all businesses, both large 

and small, to get access to other community 

leaders and new clients as well as gain 

name recognition and tremendous networking 

opportunities that help them meet their 

business goals,” said Waugh. 

“The Huntsville/Madison County TRC is 

a model for TRC campaigns throughout this 

country,” said Joyce Powell, president of and 

founder of YGM Total Resource Campaigns 

and lead consultant for the initial campaign 

in 2005. “You guys rock,” she added. 

Based on the 2009 results, plans are already 

underway for the 2010 campaign and 

volunteers are already signing up to participate. 

2010 TRC…it just keeps getting better. 

• Loren Traylor 


Getting into the FMS Game, 

continued from page 24 – 

Pieplow presented a briefing on the 

Foreign Military Sales process to the 

local aerospace and defense contracting 

community during the North Alabama 

International Trade Association’s 

(NAITA) annual World Trade Day Celebration. 

He discussed the FMS process 

and the difference between FMS and Direct 

Commercial Sales (DCS) to foreign 

governments and entities. Pieplow was 

joined by a panel of leaders involved in 

the FMS process to discuss how businesses 

in North Alabama can get in the 

FMS game – or learn about and take 

advantage of the opportunities afforded 

by Security Assistance and FMS cases 

at Redstone. Retired Maj. Gen. Bruce 

Scott, President of ITT Defense International, 

provided the keynote address at 

the NAITA/Madison County Commission 

World Trade Day luncheon, and 

remained to provide his perspective on 

the FMS panel discussion. Also on the 

panel were Alfred S. Thomas III, Director 

for Pacific and Southern Command 

Regional Operations for USASAC, and 

Randy J. Richardson, Command Ombudsman 

for AMCOM. 

Pieplow said that AMCOM/SAMD 

generated about $3.5 billion in foreign 

business last year, and SAMD already 

had $9.8 billion booked early this year. 

He appealed to the audience of local 

defense contractors, saying that we 

need more players in the game. They 

will definitely be needed to execute the 

future workload on the horizon. When 

combined with USASAC’s other cases, 

there is an enormous amount of work 

to be done in support of these contracts. 

Please visit www.naita.org for further 

information on this briefing and to view 

a copy of Pieplow’s presentation. 

Dr. Tom Peiplow presenting at the 2009 NAITA World Trade Day Celebration. 

4910 Corporate Drive, Suite C 


www.urscorp.com 

• Amanda P. Berkey 

Sr. International Trade Specialist 

Madison County Commission/NAITA 

Planning & Economic Development 

41 


E M P L O Y E E O F T H E Q U A R T E R 

Hiroko Sedensky 

web designer / research specialist 

When companies and site selection consultants are studying 

expansion or growth opportunities that exist in the 

Huntsville/Madison County community, most of the time the first 

impression they get comes from www.HuntsvilleAlabamaUSA. 

com – the Chamber of Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County’s 

website. This website features the latest information available on 

important demographics and other key performance indicators 

pertinent to economic development. Thanks to the efforts of Hiroko 

Sedensky, the Chamber’s most recent Employee of the Quarter, the 

first impression they get is of a high tech, professional community. 

Sedensky manages the Chamber’s award-winning site as well 

as other Chamber-affiliated sites such as the Chamber’s career site 

www.ASmartPlace.com and the Tennessee Valley BRAC Committee’s 

www.Tennessee-Valley.org relocation information site. 

In addition to her work on the web, Sedensky provides vital 

assistance in gathering information and designing maps for the 

Chamber’s many economic development projects. 

“The community and our membership can be proud knowing they 

have someone as talented and hardworking as Hiroko on our team. 

Not only does the work she performs help to raise the professional 

image of the community and the Chamber, she is a pleasure to work 

with and is always eager to go the extra mile to do what it takes to 

make the Huntsville community successful,” said Ken Smith, director 

of research and information services at the Chamber. 

Sedensky said she is honored by the award and enjoys the 

challenging atmosphere. 

“Winning employee of the quarter is special because I always try 

to do the best job I can. Being recognized for having gone beyond 

what is necessary is something I am very proud to achieve,” she said. 

“I enjoy working with the people here and meeting all the guests 

who visit us at the Chamber. I enjoy the day-to-day challenges to 

provide good information about our community.” • 

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Prologue 

Shaping History: The University of Alabama Huntsville Foundation 

by michael d. ward 

Editor’s Note: Mike Ward, vice president 

of governmental affairs for the Chamber of 

Commerce of Huntsville/Madison County, 

has recently written Shaping History: The 

University of Alabama Huntsville Foundation. 

The book chronicles the creation of the Foundation 

and how this was critical in helping a 

stagnant Huntsville economy evolve into the 

internationally acclaimed center for research 

and development in science, engineering and 

technology that it is today. The following is 

the prologue from the book and has been reprinted 

with permission by the UAHF. 

In every community’s history there are 

moments and choices that forever shape 

its future. For some communities, those 

choices have been ruinous, relegating them 

to dismal fortunes that seem to inextricably 

spiral downward. 

For other communities, luck and good 

judgment have created opportunities that 

bear unlikely fruit and set new directions. 

Huntsville, Alabama found itself at a crossroad 

mid-way through the last century, when 

opportunity knocked hard at its front door. 

In 1949, Huntsville was the thirteenth 

largest Alabama city, outranked by Birmingham, 

Mobile, Montgomery, Anniston, 

Selma, Gadsden, Dothan, Florence, Decatur, 

Phenix City and Tuscaloosa. Madison 

County was the seventh most populous 

Alabama County behind Jefferson, Mobile, 

Montgomery, Calhoun, Etowah and Tuscaloosa 

Counties. The City’s population stood 

at 16,406; the County’s at 73,032. 

Huntsville and Madison County’s economies 

were unspectacular in perhaps every 

regard. Its surviving cotton mills were marginally 

performing. The end of WWII had 

prompted the close of the area’s largest employer, 

one of two U.S. Army arsenals. 

Fast forward 60 years to 2009: Huntsville’s 

population outstrips all but three 

other Alabama cities and Madison County 

ranks behind only Jefferson County in the 

number of resident jobs. 

Why has Huntsville prospered as other 

Alabama communities have seen their fortunes 

stall or decline? 

To be sure, Huntsville was dealt some very 

lucky and unlikely cards. The fateful decisions 

to locate two U.S. Army arsenals in Madison 

County in 1941 were certainly future-altering 

opportunities, not entirely within the control 

of local leaders. Undoubtedly, though, other 

communities faced with similar fortunes on 

the eve of the United States’ entry into WWII 

have not enjoyed such follow-on success. 

Community leadership and vision have 

proven to be the magic ingredients propelling 

Huntsville’s growth. The inspired decisions 

by a relatively small group of people, 

beginning in the mid 1940s, transcended the 

good fortune of having the arsenals in Madison 

County. 

This is a story about a group of community 

leaders who made critical choices 

through a variety of related and unrelated 

organizations and helped change Huntsville’s 

fortune. 

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The names of these leaders are perhaps 

not as well known as they should be. The organizations 

through which they worked and 

their histories are all but unknown today. 

Men like Patrick Richardson, Carl T. Jones, 

George Mahoney, Charles Shaver, Louis 

Salmon, Beirne Spragins, Robert K. “Buster” 

Bell, Tom Thrasher, Kenneth Noojin and 

Vance Thornton provided the inspired leadership 

at critical moments. 

Key partner organizations included the 

local Chamber of Commerce, the Huntsville 

Industrial Expansion Committee, the City of 

Huntsville, and Huntsville Industrial Sites. 

Later, those efforts included the University 

of Alabama and the University of Alabama 

in Huntsville. At the heart of accelerating 

Huntsville’s growth were the University of 

Alabama Huntsville Foundation and its predecessor 

organizations. 


COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE 

43 


Prologue, continued from page 43 – 

Mike Ward signs a copy of his 

book “Shaping History, The 

University of Alabama Huntsville 

Foundation” at a recent 

book-signing event held at the 

Chamber and hosted by the 

UAH Foundation. 

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The middle of the last century was a period 

of great change for a community that had 

seen very little change for the previous 100 

years. Like much of the rest of the South, 

the foundations of Huntsville’s economy 

were based largely on the meager living that 

its people could scratch from the earth and 

earn at the local textile mills. 

Huntsville had been among the leading 

cotton-producing and milling communities 

in the southern United States in the 

19th century. Manufacturing was dominated 

by the textile mills that first located to 

the county in the early 1800s. Later, in the 

1930s, Huntsville would boast of being the 

“Watercress Capital of the World,” a tribute 

perhaps more to the marketing skills of the 

exotic industry than the economic impact 

that cress had on the region. 

As the decade of the 1940s was drawing 

to an end, only three of the area’s nine cotton 

mills were still operating. The Huntsville 

Arsenal, one of the two WWII arsenals 

located in Madison County, had been closed 

and declared surplus by the federal government. 

Virtually all of the 11,000-15,000 

people who had worked making chemical 

munitions during the years of the war effort 

had lost their jobs. 

Against this bleak backdrop, two unrelated 

but very important opportunities 

emerged. In 1949, the Army decided to use 

the arsenal’s nearly 40,000 acres for its rocket 

research program and to relocate the German 

V2 rocket team from Fort Bliss, Texas. 

The second significant decision came just a 

couple of weeks later when the University 

of Alabama announced plans to open an extension 

office in Huntsville. Both decisions 

would be implemented in 1950. 

Ultimately these two completely unrelated 

events would create a demand for 

an institution of higher education and, as 

business interest in the region heightened, 

a demand for ready industrial property on 

which business could locate their operations. 

Those two interests would later find 

common ground in the University of Alabama 

Huntsville Foundation. 

Luck, timing, perseverance, hard work, 

political muscle and a healthy concern 

about the community’s future ultimately 

would carry the day for Huntsville. •

45 



47 


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Initiatives August 2009 - Huntsville/Madison County Chamber of ...

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