Category Archives: Guest blogger

Guest blogger, What's great about Birmingham

Strong as Steel–a great new song for Birmingham

May 20, 2014 David Sher 1 Comment

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

Today’s guest blogger/singer is Chris Wood. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

Editor’s note: Never expected to hear a song about Birmingham’s civil rights struggle written and performed by a young white male from Helena. View & listen to Chris’ new song (below)–it will make you stomp your feet and be proud…

People often have conversations about what they love regarding different cities that they live in or have visited. “Oh, you’ve got to visit Chicago, the architecture is amazing!”… “Man, there’s so much history in Boston!”… “Seattle is just such a cool, hip place.”… You know, sometimes it’s hard to remember that the city we get to live in and be a part of is pretty awesome too. Continue reading Strong as Steel–a great new song for Birmingham →

Guest blogger

Gene Hallman: 5 myths about a Birmingham dome

April 22, 2014 David Sher 13 Comments

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

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

They said no one would go to Railroad Park.

They said no one would go watch the Barons play baseball downtown.

They said downtown was dead.

Guess what? They were wrong.

Now it’s time to talk about our biggest and most rewarding project.

The dome to some people is a foul four-letter word. Arguably, the dome, or the multi-purpose facility, is the most hotly and widely debated project in the history of Birmingham. More than 18 years in the making, the quest for the dome has become a very emotional issue. Allow me to discuss some of the misconceptions surrounding this project. Continue reading Gene Hallman: 5 myths about a Birmingham dome →

Guest blogger, What's great about Birmingham

Graffiti covers up Birmingham

April 15, 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 Teresa Thorne. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

2,675 pieces of graffiti were splattered all over downtown Birmingham last year–but you didn’t see any of them. That’s because our CAP officers removed them almost instantaneously.

Can you imagine what downtown Birmingham would look like if we hadn’t been removing graffiti from walls, signs, and power boxes for the past 19 years?

I’ve spent most of my adult life in Birmingham, and I feel we rarely take the time to celebrate our successes. Continue reading Graffiti covers up Birmingham →

Corporate community, Guest blogger, UAB

UAB the biggest and best hope for Birmingham

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

My name is Mike Warren.

I grew up in Auburn, attended schools there, and graduated from Auburn University. I received my law degree from Duke and I’ve joyfully lived in Birmingham ever since.

My first Birmingham job was with a major law firm and then I joined one of its largest clients, Alabama Gas. I eventually became Chairman and CEO of Energen, Alabama Gas’ parent company.

When I retired from Energen at the end of 2007, I became the CEO of Children’s of Alabama.

I tell you this to give you a sense of how long I’ve worked in our business community. I’ve witnessed first-hand Birmingham’s wins and some of our biggest disappointments. And though I love Birmingham, I join many others who feel Birmingham has never reached its full potential. Continue reading UAB the biggest and best hope for Birmingham →

Guest blogger

I send my daughter to Birmingham Schools—and love it

March 25, 2014 David Sher 2 Comments

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

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

David Sher’s provocative title “I’ll do anything to help B’ham schools except send my kids there,” appeared in my Facebook feed. It worked. I clicked. I read. I started reading comments, and I was compelled to comment as well. Sher wrote, “If people are serious about helping our inner city children, then they should invite those children into their school systems…Or they should send their children to Birmingham schools and then fight like hell to make them better.”

I wanted to take a moment to say that some of us are doing exactly that. Continue reading I send my daughter to Birmingham Schools—and love it →

Guest blogger, What's great about Birmingham

Why do we apologize for Birmingham?

March 11, 2014 David Sher 6 Comments

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

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

I moved to Birmingham in 2008, coming from a great job in Maryland where I was building and operating parks and trails. I was lured to Birmingham after receiving a phone call about an opportunity at Red Mountain Park in Birmingham. My knowledge of Birmingham was pitiful so I began to confirm the information provided by the recruiter. First, I was astounded to learn that Birmingham was in the mountains. Then I was delighted to find a city filled with outstanding restaurants, world-class hospitals, six universities, art museums, an excellent orchestra and an overall great quality of life. Continue reading Why do we apologize for Birmingham? →

Guest blogger, What's great about Birmingham

Single father sees Birmingham through rose colored glasses

February 11, 2014 David Sher 1 Comment

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

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

I’m not originally from Birmingham. I was born on Long Island, New York, raised in Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, studied at Ealing College in West London, had a brief stay in Atlanta, even lived in Tampa Bay for a while, but when I moved to Birmingham in 2004, I decided to stay. Making Birmingham my new home was motivated by several factors, the most important of which, being a single father to a preternaturally gifted child, was to pursue a course of action that would nurture his talents and provide him, at the very least, a competitive education in a developing community. I use the word developing here, because when I arrived 10 years ago, Birmingham was not the city it is today. Continue reading Single father sees Birmingham through rose colored glasses →

Guest blogger, What's great about Birmingham

Birmingham represents family, love, strength, diversity

January 21, 2014 David Sher 3 Comments

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

Today’s guest blogger is Avani Patel . We love to hear from young professionals. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

Who am I?

People ask themselves this vital question from childhood until old age. What does this question really mean, and why do we continue to ask ourselves this question?

Let us start with our childhood. As a child I was a little Indian girl with an American accent with a twinge of southern slang. I moved to Birmingham, AL at the young age of one and been in love with Birmingham ever since. I attended school with other children who were very similar to me in personality and age group but not so much in appearance. When I asked myself – who am I? Continue reading Birmingham represents family, love, strength, diversity →

Guest blogger, What's great about Birmingham

Insanity: Couples getting married in downtown underpass

January 7, 2014 David Sher 5 Comments

Wedding 18th Street underpass downtown Birmingham — Jemia & Adrian (Photo by Timothy L. Jones

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

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

Birmingham has many fine wedding venues: Couples and their guests can take in grand views at Vulcan Park or The Club, have a fancy affair at the Historic Tutwiler Hotel – or snap a bridal photo under a downtown underpass. That’s right – an underpass.

If I’d told you a year ago the brides would drag their white dresses through a railroad underpass Continue reading Insanity: Couples getting married in downtown underpass →

Guest blogger, What's great about Birmingham

Before I die I want to…

December 24, 2013 David Sher 2 Comments

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

Today’s guest blogger is Matthew Hamilton. We love to hear from young professionals. If you’d like to be a guest blogger, please click here.

Last month was bittersweet for me. First, the bitter: I had to destroy something I created.

For the last three months, I had supervised an interactive, community art project downtown. It was a 60 foot blackboard wall on the side of a building across the street from Regions Field, with 135 spaces stenciled in white with the prompt “Before I die I want to…” Any passerby was invited to pick up a piece of chalk and share their hopes and aspirations with the community. Continue reading Before I die I want to… →

To begin a conversation about a better Birmingham