Birmingham Ranks Poorly on Long-Term Small Business Growth

| May 2, 2016 

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2016/05/e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth.jpg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:640;s:6:"height";i:426;s:4:"file";s:86:"2016/05/e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth.jpg";s:5:"sizes";a:10:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:86:"e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-336x224.jpg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:224;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:86:"e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-140x140.jpg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:84:"e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-80x80.jpg";s:5:"width";i:80;s:6:"height";i:80;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:86:"e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-600x338.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:86:"e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-600x426.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:426;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:86:"e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-467x311.jpg";s:5:"width";i:467;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:86:"e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-398x265.jpg";s:5:"width";i:398;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:28:"ab-block-post-grid-landscape";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:86:"e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-600x400.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:400;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"ab-block-post-grid-square";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:86:"e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-600x426.jpg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:426;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:86:"e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-125x125.jpg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}s:10:"image_meta";a:12:{s:8:"aperture";s:1:"0";s:6:"credit";s:0:"";s:6:"camera";s:0:"";s:7:"caption";s:0:"";s:17:"created_timestamp";s:1:"0";s:9:"copyright";s:0:"";s:12:"focal_length";s:1:"0";s:3:"iso";s:1:"0";s:13:"shutter_speed";s:1:"0";s:5:"title";s:0:"";s:11:"orientation";s:1:"0";s:8:"keywords";a:0:{}}}
        )

    [_imagify_optimization_level] => Array
        (
            [0] => 1
        )

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:239039;s:14:"optimized_size";i:171474;s:7:"percent";d:28.27;}s:5:"sizes";a:8:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:114:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/05/e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:68991;s:14:"optimized_size";i:48932;s:7:"percent";d:29.07;}s:9:"thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}s:6:"medium";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:122:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/05/e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-336x224.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:25581;s:14:"optimized_size";i:19158;s:7:"percent";d:25.109999999999999;}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:122:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/05/e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-508x338.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:45630;s:14:"optimized_size";i:31596;s:7:"percent";d:30.760000000000002;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:122:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/05/e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-300x300.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:25875;s:14:"optimized_size";i:19465;s:7:"percent";d:24.77;}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:122:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/05/e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-467x311.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:40040;s:14:"optimized_size";i:27689;s:7:"percent";d:30.850000000000001;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:122:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/05/e837b30620f1053ecd0b470de7444e90fe76e6d31bb0124290f3c0_640_business-growth-398x265.jpg";s:13:"original_size";i:32922;s:14:"optimized_size";i:24634;s:7:"percent";d:25.170000000000002;}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:2:{s:7:"success";b:0;s:5:"error";s:77:"WELL DONE. This image is already compressed, no further compression required.";}}}
        )

    [_imagify_status] => Array
        (
            [0] => success
        )

)
1666481510 
1462179510

Birmingham has a lot to offer young companies, but the city is lacking when it comes to sustaining small businesses in the long term. That’s according to a new study by American City Business Journals. They measured the nation’s largest metro areas for small business vitality, and Birmingham ranked 82nd out of more than 100 metro areas. In this week’s Magic City Marketplace, Birmingham Business Journal editor Ty West tells WBHM’s Rachel Lindley what experts say Birmingham could do to help small businesses.

 

Iceland reports the presence of mosquitoes for the first time, as climate warms

The discovery of three Culiseta annulata mosquitoes was confirmed this week by the Natural Science Institute of Iceland, which said the mosquitoes likely arrived by freight.

Alabama board seeks to ban books that ‘positively’ depict trans themes from library youth sections

The Alabama Public Library Service Board of Directors is considering a proposed rule change that expands the existing requirement for youth sections to be free of “material deemed inappropriate for children.” The new proposal said that includes any material that “positively depicts transgender procedures, gender ideology, or the concept of more than two biological genders.”

After months of the same songs on the Hot 100, ‘Billboard’ tweaks its rules

Billboard has revised its system of removing songs from the Hot 100 singles chart once they've gotten too old to qualify as contemporary hits.

Greetings from an Indian Railways coach, with spectacular views from Mumbai to Goa

Far-Flung Postcards is a weekly series in which NPR's international team shares moments from their lives and work around the world.

Alabama inmate asks to meet with governor ahead of execution

Anthony Boyd is scheduled to be executed Thursday evening by nitrogen gas at the William C. Holman Correctional Facility. A jury convicted Boyd of capital murder for the 1993 burning death of Gregory Huguley in Talladega County.

Mental exercise can reverse a brain change linked to aging, study finds

Scientists have found the first compelling evidence that cognitive training can boost levels of a brain chemical that typically declines as people age.

More Economy Coverage