Category Archives: Corporate community

Let’s galvanize behind a community effort to grow the Black Business Class

Bob Dickerson
Bob Dickerson

ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a more prosperous metro Birmingham.

Today’s guest blogger is  Bob Dickerson.  If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

If we close Birmingham’s racial wealth gap we all benefit.

If you’re black and you’re reading this then you know exactly what I mean by the racial wealth gap. If you’re white there’s a chance that you might not realize and worse, might not have ever focused on the problems that this gaping disparity cause.  Continue reading Let’s galvanize behind a community effort to grow the Black Business Class

Time to brand Birmingham for the 22nd century

Danny Markstein
Danny Markstein

ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a more prosperous Birmingham.

Today’s guest blogger is  Danny Markstein.  If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

Over the years – and especially recently – there has been a lot of conversation about branding Birmingham. Many other cities have engaged in processes to develop, launch and maintain their brands – with wildly varying levels of success. Continue reading Time to brand Birmingham for the 22nd century

What Birmingham can learn from a former Texan who came from the North

William J. Carl III, PhD, Senior Pastor of Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham
William J. Carl III, PhD, Senior Pastor of Independent Presbyterian Church in Birmingham

ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a more prosperous Birmingham.

Today’s guest blogger is Dr.  William Carl .  If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

I write this piece, not because I want to, but because I feel compelled to. What I offer here are my personal views as a citizen, not the random thoughts of a religious leader in this community. Continue reading What Birmingham can learn from a former Texan who came from the North

The Birmingham company that ate Atlanta

Birmingham Barons
Birmingham Barons playing baseball at Regions Field

When I was growing up in the ‘50’s Birmingham and Atlanta were about the same size.

Birmingham was actually larger than Nashville, Charlotte, and Austin—but I digress.

My father took me to Rickwood Field to watch the Southern League Birmingham Barons play baseball against the Atlanta Crackers. Continue reading The Birmingham company that ate Atlanta

Why we should worry about what’s happening in Irondale

A standing room only crowd attended a public hearing on a proposed 1 percent occupational tax.
A standing room only crowd attended an Irondale public hearing on a proposed 1 percent occupational tax

Some of you are probably going to think I’m going to blame Irondale’s financial challenges on its elected officials.

I am not.

I’m not sure there’s a human being alive who could find a painless way for Irondale or many of our other municipalities to avoid financial challenges. Continue reading Why we should worry about what’s happening in Irondale

A shocking statistic–and what we’re doing about it

Charlotte Conaway
Charlotte Conaway

ComebackTown is published by David Sher to begin a discussion on a better Birmingham.

Today’s guest blogger is Charlotte Conaway.  If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

82% of Birmingham City School children cannot read at grade level. I know this is shocking, but we have found a way to help.

I have mixed emotions about publicizing our efforts.

I’m afraid it might appear I’m writing this article to feel important or to promote my company. Or that I am ‘putting down’ Birmingham City Schools. Continue reading A shocking statistic–and what we’re doing about it

Gov. Ivey sticks foot in mouth

Kay Ivey, Governor of Alabama
Kay Ivey, Governor of Alabama

Governor Ivey, you can do better than this.

Ivey, who’s campaigning for a full four year term as governor, addressed the Rotary Club of Birmingham on March 7th.

In her prepared remarks she bragged about $6 billion of new investments in Alabama since April of last year…including the $1.6 billion Huntsville Toyota-Mazda plant. Continue reading Gov. Ivey sticks foot in mouth

Birmingham like a bathtub with no stopper

Infinity Property & Casualty Corporation
Infinity Property & Casualty Corporation Downtown Birmingham headquarters

If this  article doesn’t get your attention about the future of greater Birmingham—nothing will.

We all know how a bathtub works.

Water comes out of a faucet into a tub and as long as the stopper is engaged, the bathtub fills up.

But what happens if there is no stopper? Continue reading Birmingham like a bathtub with no stopper

Nick Saban’s dream is Hoover’s nightmare

Nick Saban, football coach at University of Alabama
Nick Saban, football coach at University of Alabama

Okay…I’ve written about this before.

But it makes us look so DUMB that I’m going to write about it again.

And I’m going to write about it over and over until someone gets disgusted enough to do something about it.

Are we fools?

How can we be such suckers?
Continue reading Nick Saban’s dream is Hoover’s nightmare

Are Birmingham business leaders loopy?

Mobile Skyline
Mobile Skyline

Every seat was full at the Harbert Center last week.

Jeff Immelt, CEO of General Electric, one of the largest companies in the world, addressed a joint luncheon of the Kiwanis and Rotary Clubs of Birmingham.

Rotarians and Kiwanians were thrilled to have the opportunity to see such an influential business executive– and hear him sing the praises of Alabama. Continue reading Are Birmingham business leaders loopy?