Category Archives: Guest blogger

Guest blogger, What's great about Birmingham

Birmingham: The city of my youth makes a comeback

December 23, 2014 David Sher 3 Comments

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

Today’s guest blogger is Jerry Carter. It appears it’s not just young folks thrilled with Birmingham’s comeback. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

I spent a number of my childhood years in the Norwood section of Birmingham in the ’40’s and early ’50’s. Those years provide the basis for my long-distance passion for the city.

I recall the old street rails for the trolleys, and buying Krystal hamburgers for 12 cents on the downtown corner of 2nd Avenue North. The animated Christmas displays each year in the windows of Pizitz and Loveman’s department stores were awesome. The Alabama Theatre was the absolute mecca for movie viewing. I still recall my amazement when the Wurlitzer organ would rise up to stage level and music would fill the large hall. Continue reading Birmingham: The city of my youth makes a comeback →

Guest blogger, UAB

5 reasons David Sher Is Wrong About UAB Football

November 14, 2014 David Sher 4 Comments

Michael Bullington, Auburn student, — Michael Bullington. Auburn student

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

Today’s guest blogger is Michael Bullington. In this piece, Michael is responding to 5 reasons UAB will pull the plug on UAB football. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

1) Eventually, the U of A Trustees will cave

There is continuous and mounting public pressure for the University of Alabama System’s Board of Trustees to offer greater resources and attention to UAB. UAB is not the commuter school that it once was. About 18,700 students are enrolled at UAB, more than half as many as UAT has. If UAB’s student population was a city, it would be the 34th largest city in Alabama. Also, while only 40% of students at UAT are from the state of Alabama, nearly 80% of UAB’s students are in-state. These are students whose families have paid taxes to support the system. Their voice matters. If football really matters to UAB students (and it should), then they will fight for their program. Regardless of football, they should fight for their school. UAB Football may take a hit, but given time the Board will inevitably come to realize that greater athletic offerings can only help UAB, the System, and the State. #FreeUAB Continue reading 5 reasons David Sher Is Wrong About UAB Football →

Guest blogger, Uncategorized

9 year old Birmingham girl likely to be first woman President

November 4, 2014 David Sher 2 Comments

Anniah Mishra — Annikah Mishra, likely first woman President

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

Today’s guest blogger is 9 year old Annikah Mishra. She wrote this letter to President Obama at the beginning of the school year. She’s been patiently waiting for a response from the President (checking mailbox every day) and has not been very happy with his slow response.

Her parents posted this letter on Facebook and granted permission for ComebackTown to republish.

If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

Dear President Obama,

My name is Annikah Mishra and I’m 9 years old starting 4^th grade. Continue reading 9 year old Birmingham girl likely to be first woman President →

Guest blogger, What's great about Birmingham

Our Birmingham spy in New York

September 30, 2014 David Sher 2 Comments

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

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

I was an urban kid – born and raised in New York City. And although I’ve lived in the country near Montevallo for almost 25 years, the grid and grit of a city still make my heart beat faster. I love the feel of pavement under my feet and the sensation of being flanked by tall buildings with graceful design elements that only the pigeons can see up close. Continue reading Our Birmingham spy in New York →

Guest blogger

Time to write a new story for Birmingham

September 9, 2014 David Sher Leave a comment

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

Today’s guest blogger is Duanna Pang-Dokland. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

Have you seen the billboard or heard the saying, “Will the last person leaving Seattle turn out the lights?” According to Luis Ubinas, former president of the Ford Foundation, 40 years ago cities like New York, San Francisco, Boston and Seattle were broke, had drastic unemployment and residents were leaving. They were considered dying cities. Since then, these cities have rewritten their stories and rebounded. They are comeback towns.

But before our minds fly to the idea that Birmingham is different from these cities, or that changes that occurred in those cities cannot be replicated here, I invite us to stay open to the whisper of possibility and to live each day in Birmingham beyond business as usual.
Continue reading Time to write a new story for Birmingham →

Guest blogger, What's great about Birmingham

Did I make a mistake by moving back to Birmingham?

August 12, 2014 David Sher 2 Comments

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

Today’s guest blogger is Javacia Harris Bowser. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

“I dwell in Possibility.” – Emily Dickinson

What made you want to come back to Birmingham?

A few months ago someone asked me that question and I realized I didn’t know how to answer it.

I’m a Birmingham native who first left the city just to travel about 45 minutes up the road to Tuscaloosa where I completed my undergraduate studies at the University of Alabama. But for graduate school I went nearly 3,000 miles away from home to the University of California at Berkeley. I spent a bit of time in Seattle, Washington, and then I got married and settled down in Louisville, Kentucky for several years.

But Birmingham always brings you back. Continue reading Did I make a mistake by moving back to Birmingham? →

Corporate community, Guest blogger, What's great about Birmingham

Young professional: How to make it in Birmingham

July 1, 2014 David Sher 4 Comments

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

Today’s guest blogger is Taylor Peake Wyatt . If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

When I recently read the guest blog on ComebackTown, A 4 letter word: Why young professionals leave Birmingham, I had to respond.

I’m eager to give Birmingham’s business community the credit it deserves and to explain why I enjoy growing my career here.

I would like to answer the question how a small but vibrant city is keeping talented young professionals inspired and growing.

Being a young professional has a lot of challenges and being a young female entrepreneur has even more. There’s a lot of pressure in being independent and starting your career – especially if you’re dealing with student loans, a lack of available jobs, and wanting to support a family of your own. It takes balance, passion, and perseverance. Continue reading Young professional: How to make it in Birmingham →

Guest blogger

A 4 letter word: Why young professionals leave Birmingham

June 17, 2014 David Sher 3 Comments

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

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

I would like to begin with the use of a four letter word. However, I am pretty confident that you will not be offended and my mother will not wash out my mouth with soap. The word is….JOBS. When David Sher wrote the post “This Number will Scare the Bejeebies out of You,” I read it knowing that I had to respond in some way. I felt as if I identified with it and more importantly, can provide a real experience to support David’s facts. Continue reading A 4 letter word: Why young professionals leave Birmingham →

Guest blogger, What's great about Birmingham

Mike Slive: Why the SEC and I call Birmingham our home

June 10, 2014 David Sher 1 Comment

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

Today’s guest blogger is SEC Commissioner Mike Slive. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

When I became commissioner of the Southeastern Conference in 2002, I knew little about Birmingham and its surrounding communities. I was drawn to the position by the prestige of the conference, the commitment of the league’s institutions and the passion of its fans. I was aware of its proud history, impressed by its success and intrigued by its future.

But for the city I was going to call home, my knowledge was limited. That soon changed. Continue reading Mike Slive: Why the SEC and I call Birmingham our home →

Corporate community, Guest blogger, What's great about Birmingham

Birmingham’s real image

May 27, 2014 David Sher Leave a comment

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

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

A little over a decade ago, the head of Nissan North America, Carlos Ghosn, made an announcement that shocked nearly everyone – Nissan was moving their headquarters from southern California to Nashville, Tennessee. When publicly questioned why, he cited savings in operational costs and large tax incentives.

But in private discussions, Ghosn began his answer rather differently. He shared how Nashville is simply Continue reading Birmingham’s real image →

To begin a conversation about a better Birmingham