We have a little game us business people play in Birmingham—and we’re darn good at it.
When it’s time to renew the lease on our building—we go to our home city or surrounding cities and demand money.
And it’s so easy to do. There are 35+ municipalities in Jefferson County and if you are large enough or important enough—some local government will throw money at you. Continue reading How to extort money from City of Homewood
Here’s a story about POWER and Jeffrey Bayer.
On November 14, Jeffrey Bayer, President and CEO of Bayer Properties, and I were scheduled to deliver a speech about regional governance at a symposium of Birmingham area commercial real estate professionals (CCIM).
The Harbert Center was dark when we arrived. The lights and electricity were off and the escalator to the upper floors was motionless. There had been an traffic accident killing the power to the Harbert Center and nearby buildings. Continue reading Bayer and Sher don’t have a prayer
I’ve lived most of my life in the over the mountain communities of Mt. Brook and Vestavia Hills. I’ve worked most of my life in the City of Birmingham—primarily downtown.
I’ve never felt unsafe in the suburbs or in Birmingham.
Thanks to the resurgence of downtown, I now often find myself downtown in the evenings. I’m usually more concerned about finding a parking place at night than I am about being a crime victim.
So it’s kind of surreal to watch a mini-crime spree unfold in Mt.Brook. Continue reading Mt. Brook mini-crime spree
A good friend came rushing up to me as I entered the Harbert Center for a meeting. He said, “I just found out something I bet you don’t know— “The University of Alabama doesn’t exist.”
Now I’ve heard some farfetched things in my life, but few topped this one.
But before all you anti University of Alabama folks from UAB and UAH get too excited, he explained that you don’t exist either.
I’m jealous.
I recently read a piece in the Nashville Business Journal that made me ill.
The nausea was amplified by the memories of a humiliating Birmingham Regional Chamber of Commerce (BBA) trip I took with about one hundred corporate, community, and political leaders to Nashville ten years ago.
None of us were prepared for the way we were mistreated. One Nashville speaker called us racists; another attacked our healthcare industry; and third referred to Birmingham as ‘Bombingham.’ (Nashville spits on Birmingham)
I think most people will agree that UAB and UAH are not fairly represented on the University of Alabama Board of Trustees.
Twelve of 15 trustees graduated from the University of Alabama, two graduated from UAB and none from UAH–one is a graduate of both UA and UAB, where he attended medical school.
Can we implement an equitable solution? Maybe not–there’s a potential roadblock.
The CEO of one of our area’s largest companies approached me at a business reception recently and said he was concerned about Birmingham.
I’ve had lots of people tell me they were worried about Birmingham, but never like this. Continue reading Is Birmingham becoming too cocky?
Has Publix gone mad?
The executives at Publix must be on drugs—bought at its own pharmacy.
Why would any sane company build a grocery store in downtown Birmingham?—not just a kids sized model—but a full size grocery store—pharmacy and all.
Publix must not have gotten the memo about white/black flight from the city center and the vast dangerous wasteland left behind.
Has Publix lost all sense of reality?
Continue reading Publix wacky for building a store downtown?
The UAB basketball team won nine straight home games, triumphed in the Conference USA Tournament, and captured a cherished birth in the NCAA Play Offs. But as the clock counted down in the final moments of the Conference USA championship game, some UAB fans broke into the all too familiar chant, “Fire Ray Watts!”
I completely understand why many UAB fans are upset. Last fall the plug was pulled on UAB football and the decision and announcement was totally mishandled. We must blame someone. Continue reading Fire Ray Watts chant makes me crazy
Where are they?
At first I thought they had moved to surrounding counties—and some did, but that’s not the hole story.
It’s common knowledge that Jefferson County’s population is stagnant—but I got curious about the details.
According to the 2010 Census, Jefferson County lost .5% of its population from 2000-2010– 662,047 to 658,466.
Not a big deal –we only lost 3,581 people.
But then I found the hole. Continue reading The hole in Jefferson County no one seems to know about