Mobile Bay Blog

Mobile Alabama economy draws national attention on CNBC

August 27th, 2007 2:10 PM

Mobile economy ready for its close-up

Booming economy draws national attention, with a prime-time CNBC city profile and inclusion of two local firms on Inc. 500 list

Monday, August 27, 2007

By GEORGE TALBOT

Business Reporter

Mobile's booming economy is drawing national attention.

A two-part profile of the city appeared on cable network CNBC during prime time on Thursday and Friday, and a pair of fast-growing local companies are recognized in a popular business magazine on newstands this month.

CNBC's report, aired as part of its "On the Money" show, featured Mayor Sam Jones and other local business leaders talking about the city's economic growth in the two years since Hurricane Katrina. The network reaches about 340 million households worldwide, according to Nielsen Media Research.

"They wanted to know where this place called Mobile, Alabama, was coming from, and what was going on down here," Jones said. "It's good to be recognized for our success. We've never seen this kind of attention before."

Inc. magazine included two local firms, telecommunications provider Southern Light LLC and Hargrove & Associates Inc., an engineering and construction company, as part of its annual list of the 500 fastest growing private companies in America.

The 2007 rankings, based on annual sales growth, are published in Inc.'s September edition. The monthly magazine, billed as "The Daily Resource for Entrepreneurs," reaches about 1 million subscribers.

Mobile has been on a hot streak since the May 11 announcement that ThyssenKrupp AG had chosen a site north of the city for a proposed $3.7 billion steel mill. News about the massive project spanned the globe, earning references in more than 300 publications over the past three months, according to computer research firm LexisNexis.

"When you land the largest economic development project in America, that's news wherever you are," Jones said.

The city also drew an international spotlight at the Paris Air Show in June. Mobile is home to an Airbus engineering center and could add an aircraft assembly plant if it can win a lucrative contract to build aerial refueling tankers for the U.S. Air Force.

High-profile articles about Mobile's aerospace ambitions appeared in the New York Times and the International Herald Tribune, among other news outlets.

Southern Light and Hargrove returned Mobile to the Inc. 500 list for the first time since 2001, when local promotional products manufacturer Crown Products was included. The magazine said the companies on its 26th annual list are symbols of American ingenuity and ambition.

"If you want to find out which companies are going to change the world, look at the Inc. 500," said Editor Jane Berentson. "These are the most innovative, dynamic, fast-growing companies in the nation."

Southern Light, founded in Mobile in 1998, was ranked 151, the highest statewide. The ranking was based on 2006 revenue of

$13.6 million, a 1,303 percent increase over 2005, according to Inc.

The company, which employs 31, provides fiber optic communications to business and government customers along the Gulf Coast.

Southern Light's president, Andy Newton, told the magazine that his sales were boosted after hurricanes Ivan and Katrina, when the company bolstered its reputation by quickly resuming service.

"Nobody down here wants to hear the word 'hurricane,' but that's been real helpful to our business," Newton said.

Hargrove, founded in Mobile in 1995, ranked 453 based on 2006 revenue of $15.9 million, a 642 percent increase over 2005. The company, which employs 185 and also has offices in Atlanta and Savannah, Ga., designs and builds large industrial projects such as refineries, chemical plants and paper mills.

Ralph Hargrove, the company's founder and chief executive, attributed the growth to referrals and repeat business. Hargrove said he commonly takes on multiple projects for his 200 clients, including work for many of the Mobile area's major industrial tenants.

"We still do projects for Kimberly-Clark, one of the first two clients we started with 13 years ago," Hargrove told the magazine.

ON THE WEB

For more information about the Inc. 500, see the magazine's Web site at www.inc.com/magazine. To view the CNBC profile of Mobile, go to www.CNBC.com

Posted by Kelby Linn on August 27th, 2007 2:10 PMPost a Comment (0)

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More funding for Mobile County area - Dauphin Island, Bayou La Batre

August 16th, 2007 10:59 AM

By Steven Norris

August 15 2007 | text size: small medium large

An additional $17 million in relief funding will be backing its way to the Mobile area. Governor Bob Riley announced the funding today that intends to help victims recovering from 2005 hurricanes, especially Katrina. triley secured the federal money from Community Developoment Block Grants. Riley has previously awarded $74 million in relief funds to the Gulf Coast.
"In a relatively short time span, Alabama's coastal area has made amazing progress recovering from this devastating storm" Governor Riley said. "I am hopeful these grants will speed up the recovery."

The six grants are broken down into different amounts for different causes and areas.
- $7.4 Million will go to Mobile County provide housing for families whose homes were damaged or destroyed.
-$4.1 Million will go to the city of Mobile to provide affordable rental housing for victims
-$1.7 Million will go the the city of Chickasaw to repair damaged sewers.
-$1.6 Million will go to the town of Dauphin Island to repair and update drainge systems; the city of Prichard will get $1.45 million to use sewer repairs as well.
-$650,000 will go to the city of Bayou La Batre for residential cleanup.

These federal dollars were made available by the U.S. Department of Housing and Urban Development.

Posted by Kelby Linn on August 16th, 2007 10:59 AMPost a Comment (0)

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Fishing needs saving: Bayou La Batre and Mobile, Alabama area

August 14th, 2007 11:19 AM

Sunday, August 12, 2007

By JEFF DUTE

Outdoors Editor

I would like to be able to say that the future of fishing in Alabama is good, but I can't.

It's true that we have much to brag about. We have world-class freshwater and saltwater fisheries for species from bass to speckled trout to marlin. The Mobile area continues to be a preferred site for professional tournament stops where fishermen try to catch everything from bass to redfish to king mackerel.

Birmingham was voted America's Bass Capital through a nationwide vote on ESPN's Bass In-Sider Web site.

It's indisputable that Alabama, and Mobile especially, has everything a fisherman could want.

But the problem is that not nearly as many of us are actually going out and enjoying the resource or introducing what we have to others.

I know the fact that fishing participation has been decreasing for a long while isn't new. What I have a problem with are the people who try to put a positive spin on it by pointing out how much money fishermen spend to go fishing.

U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service survey figures for 2006 indicate the country's 29.9 million fishermen spent $41 billion on fishing. They spent another $11 billion on items used for both hunting and fishing. In Alabama, 808,000 fishing participants -- 600,000 residents and 208,000 non-residents -- spent $734.5 million, according to the survey.

Spending nationwide between 2001 (when the last USFWS survey was conducted) and 2006 increased 5 percent on equipment like rods and reels and 7 percent on fishing trips, but fell by 14 percent on things like special clothing and tents and 12 percent on big-ticket items like boats and trucks.

Those numbers tend to blind us to the fact that between 2001 and 2006, fishing participation nationwide fell 12 percent and 11 percent in Alabama, according to the USFWS.

Do some simple math using these latter figures and see what you come up with in "projected" fishermen numbers nationally and in Alabama by 2050. I know that assumes the rate of decline stays constant, but it still should make you think.

It also is not a big secret why these numbers continue to fall. There are not enough people being introduced to fishing to make up for the people who are giving it up for whatever reason.

The "take-a-kid-fishing" concept is great on paper but getting a kid, or anyone for that matter, to adopt a lifestyle is not simple. It involves much more work than just taking them to the water once or twice and expecting them to become a life-long angler.

They can't be beaten over the head with it either. A balance has to be found so eventually they want to go to the water.

I am not going to repeat the generalized sage advice handed out on how to accomplish this because what works for me may not work for you.

The point is to at least try, knowing full well the only magic involved may occur on the day your kid or neighbor or neighbor's kid walks up and asks, "Hey, when we going fishing again?"

Contact Outdoors Editor Jeff Dute at:

jdute@press-register.com

251-219-5667.

His column appears on Sundays in the Press-Register.

Posted by Kelby Linn on August 14th, 2007 11:19 AMPost a Comment (0)

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Dauphin Island - Bayou La Batre: “Damn the torpedoes! Full steam ahead!”

August 8th, 2007 2:49 PM

Fort Gaines was originally built as an addition of our country’s security but the original fort had many problems. For one, Fort Gaines was built too close to the Mobile bay and at high tide, water would enter the structure. Another problem arose over land rights but the military did finally gain rights and the deed to the island.

In 1853, a new engineer was brought in; he determined that the structure was such a mess and the plans were so outdated, that it would be better to start back over at the beginning and build a whole new fort. The fort he designed was finished in 1858.

During the Civil War, Fort Gaines became central operations for blockade running and in 1864 the battle of Mobile Bay broke out between Confederate and Union forces.

Union Army commanders, Admiral David Farragut and Major General Gordon Granger, came through the bay amid fourteen ships, with the orders to shut down the fort.

The guns in Fort Gaines rang out and much damage was caused to the Union Army. Then, Admiral Farragut gave the notorious order, “Damn the torpedoes! Full steam ahead!” The Union army succeeded in its task when Fort Gaines surrendered to avoid hand-to-hand combat.

Fort Gaines has a long history of military use and found itself involved in the Spanish American War, World War I and World War 2 for various military needs. Today, the Coast Guard has a base at Fort Gaines and the fort continues to be of service.

Over the years, many men have died at the site of Fort Gaines; a reported 1,800 of these men died in the bloody Battle of Mobile Bay. The Island itself has the nick name of “Massacre Island” and it is no surprise that this fort is haunted by so many angry, restless spirits.

Many visitors to the fort, as well as employees, have reported seeing the apparitions of former Confederate and Union soldiers wandering all over the grounds. Many have even caught these specters on film, including paranormal investigators.

Another apparition of the fort, a soldier, is said to follow people around the fort until they leave the front gates; this spirit has been seen and its presence has been felt by many. Other ghostly encounters in the fort include the common ghostly cold spots and footsteps.

The MTV show called “Fear,” filmed an episode on Fort Gaines. According to MTV a Native American woman’s apparition has been seen wearing the skins of animals and covered in blood.

Also, MTV shed a little light on some of the horrifying events at Fort Gains. Apparently, the storms that occur on Dauphin Island are sometimes especially harsh and these storms tend to wash up more bones of departed soldiers.

More bones can be found in a tunnel that collapsed on several Native American slaves. These slaves were chained together and they were buried alive in the accident. According to MTV, the bones were never removed and are still there in the tunnel. MTV also reported that several soldiers died in an underground pipe while trying to escape the fort; high tide came in a drown them.

Address:
51 Bienville Boulevard
Dauphin Island, Alabama
(251) 861-6992

Posted by Kelby Linn on August 8th, 2007 2:49 PMPost a Comment (0)

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Plans for New Track In Mobile, Alabama involve Earnhardt Family

August 6th, 2007 2:20 PM

MOBILE, Ala. -- A new race track venue is scheduled to open in the Mobile, Alabama area in late 2009 to earily 2010. The new venue will be known as Alabama Motorsports Park and has a website with a description of plans for the new facility. The website address is: www.alabamamotorsportspark.com and Dale Earnhardt Jr, Kerry Earnhardt, & Kelley Earnhardt-Elledge are some of the investors and will help with input on many facets of the facility. Check out the website and click on The Project and then on the left side of the website click on Site Plans or Renderings the click on the image to get a better view of what the facility might look like when it is finished.

The new Alabama Motorsports Park will include:

Oval Track
7/10-mile lighted oval with 75,000 seats expandable to 125,000 seats with room for 100 haulers.

Sprint Track
3/8-mile dirt track designed to attract national sprint car events.

Road Course
3.5 mile road course in two distinct, but connecting, sections to provide for unique testing capabilities permanent seating and traditional expanse used for road-racing spectators.

Dragway
1/4-mile drag strip designed to attract national drag racing events

Winners Circle Program
Enables fans and or business owners to purchase capability to guarantee same for any event at any motorsports venue; and program would not require Winner Circle participant to purchase tickets to every event.

Parking
Parking will be planned as part of transportation hub that will enable parking areas to provide convenient customer acess to all venues; and special reserved parking areas are planned for Winners Circle participants.

RV Lot
The RV lot will be divide into three sections.
500 pull-through concrete slips

Posted by Kelby Linn on August 6th, 2007 2:20 PMPost a Comment (0)

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