Posts by davidsher:
The missing secret sauce for Birmingham’s future
May 23rd, 2023
Today’s guest columnist is Jacob Rogers.
Born and raised in the Birmingham metro area, I attended elementary school in Midfield, middle school in Warrior, and high school in Blount County.
After graduating from Samford University in 2009, it took me several months to find an entry-level position. Read the rest of this entry “
I can’t believe I’m hunting $1 billion companies in Birmingham, Alabama
May 16th, 2023
Today’s guest columnist is Malcolm McDonald.
“If you want a career in tech, you really need to move to the coast.”
The words rang in my head. “He would know.” I thought. Nestled in the sunny hills of San Francisco, my childhood friend was a product leader at Netflix. Read the rest of this entry “
Are the ghosts of George and Bull keeping Alabama poor?
May 9th, 2023
Today’s guest columnist is Billy Field.
I first learned about reputation, at least the reputation of a state, in the summer following my 7th grade year, the summer of 1963.
My mother loaded up my sister, my half-blind grandfather (meaning he couldn’t help with the driving), me and my good friend Reid, and we set out across America in a 1961 straight-shift Rambler with a canvas cargo carrier on top, packed with a five-person tent, sleeping bags and fishing rods. Read the rest of this entry “
Downtown Birmingham, Time for a parking revolution!
May 2nd, 2023
Today’s guest columnist is David Fleming.
Parking lots are dead spaces. Nothing we can construct sucks the life and vibrancy out of a place more than a parking lot.
Yet we cannot seem to live without parking. Views on parking dominate almost every issue related to downtown growth. We hear:
“There is not enough parking.” Read the rest of this entry “
An idea the Mountain Brook Board of Education might want to consider
April 25th, 2023
By David Sher
Birmingham is unique in that a significant portion of its most educated and wealthy individuals live in one single adjacent suburb. Read the rest of this entry “
The next logical step for our Birmingham region
April 18th, 2023
By David Sher
According to Birmingham Lede “Jefferson County lost nearly 4,600 people between 2021-2022.
Even the Birmingham Hoover Metropolitan area lost population.
How’s it possible to be located in the center of the Sunbelt, the fastest growing region in the U.S. and be shrinking? Read the rest of this entry “
Hey Birmingham, it’s not people versus business here
April 11th, 2023
Today’s guest columnist is Don Erwin.
In the last thirty years Birmingham has lost one company after another.
There’s an old saying among economic developers that “It’s easier to keep an existing business than to find a new business to replace it.” Read the rest of this entry “
Two major projects among the largest in Birmingham history
April 4th, 2023
Today’s guest columnist is Robert Simon.
It’s remarkable how a single trip changed my life and likely the future of the city I love.
In 2004, I traveled with a cohort of about 100 business, community, and political leaders to Charlotte, North Carolina sponsored by the Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce. Read the rest of this entry “
My childhood memories of Birmingham may be different than yours
March 28th, 2023
Today’s guest columnist is Janice Wilson.
There is a popular Facebook group entitled, “You knew you grew up in Birmingham, Alabama, if:”
It’s filled with fond memories and photos of such fun and happy places like Cascade Plunge, Kiddieland, and Joy Young.
Alabama paying the cost of Medicaid expansion but getting none of the benefits
March 21st, 2023
Today’s guest columnist is Ryan Hankins.
The purpose of expanding Medicaid is to provide access to medical care for a population of adults who don’t have employer-provided insurance and whose incomes are too low to qualify for a subsidy on the healthcare exchange.
Read the rest of this entry “