Deconstructing REV, Birmingham’s Economic Development Organization

| May 19, 2016 

 ========= Old Image Removed =========Array
(
    [_wp_attached_file] => Array
        (
            [0] => 2016/05/david-fleming-e1464035289860.jpeg
        )

    [_wp_attachment_metadata] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:5:{s:5:"width";i:1785;s:6:"height";i:1147;s:4:"file";s:41:"2016/05/david-fleming-e1464035289860.jpeg";s:5:"sizes";a:13:{s:6:"medium";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:41:"david-fleming-e1464035289860-336x216.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:216;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:5:"large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:41:"david-fleming-e1464035289860-771x495.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:495;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:41:"david-fleming-e1464035289860-140x140.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:12:"medium_large";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:41:"david-fleming-e1464035289860-768x493.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:768;s:6:"height";i:493;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"1536x1536";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:42:"david-fleming-e1464035289860-1536x987.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:1536;s:6:"height";i:987;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:9:"wbhm-icon";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:39:"david-fleming-e1464035289860-80x80.jpeg";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:41:"david-fleming-e1464035289860-600x338.jpeg";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:41:"david-fleming-e1464035289860-600x600.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:41:"david-fleming-e1464035289860-484x311.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:484;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:41:"david-fleming-e1464035289860-412x265.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:412;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:41:"david-fleming-e1464035289860-600x400.jpeg";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:41:"david-fleming-e1464035289860-600x600.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:600;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:14:"post-thumbnail";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:41:"david-fleming-e1464035289860-125x125.jpeg";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:{}}}
        )

    [_media_credit] => Array
        (
            [0] => Gigi Douban
        )

    [_navis_media_credit_org] => Array
        (
            [0] => WBHM
        )

    [_navis_media_can_distribute] => Array
        (
            [0] => 
        )

    [_wp_attachment_backup_sizes] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:9:{s:9:"full-orig";a:3:{s:5:"width";i:1920;s:6:"height";i:1440;s:4:"file";s:18:"david-fleming.jpeg";}s:14:"thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"david-fleming-140x140.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:140;s:6:"height";i:140;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:11:"medium-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"david-fleming-336x252.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:336;s:6:"height";i:252;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:10:"large-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"david-fleming-771x578.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:771;s:6:"height";i:578;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:18:"wbhm-featured-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"david-fleming-600x338.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:600;s:6:"height";i:338;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:25:"wbhm-featured-square-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"david-fleming-300x300.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:300;s:6:"height";i:300;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:23:"wbhm-featured-home-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"david-fleming-415x311.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:415;s:6:"height";i:311;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:27:"wbhm-featured-carousel-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"david-fleming-353x265.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:353;s:6:"height";i:265;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}s:19:"post-thumbnail-orig";a:4:{s:4:"file";s:26:"david-fleming-125x125.jpeg";s:5:"width";i:125;s:6:"height";i:125;s:9:"mime-type";s:10:"image/jpeg";}}
        )

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

    [_imagify_data] => Array
        (
            [0] => a:2:{s:5:"stats";a:3:{s:13:"original_size";i:594442;s:14:"optimized_size";i:407252;s:7:"percent";d:31.489999999999998;}s:5:"sizes";a:9:{s:4:"full";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:69:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/05/david-fleming-e1464035289860.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:350830;s:14:"optimized_size";i:228563;s:7:"percent";d:34.850000000000001;}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:77:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/05/david-fleming-e1464035289860-336x216.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:20668;s:14:"optimized_size";i:15368;s:7:"percent";d:25.640000000000001;}s:5:"large";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:77:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/05/david-fleming-e1464035289860-771x495.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:82030;s:14:"optimized_size";i:59203;s:7:"percent";d:27.829999999999998;}s:13:"wbhm-featured";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:77:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/05/david-fleming-e1464035289860-600x338.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:48504;s:14:"optimized_size";i:35599;s:7:"percent";d:26.609999999999999;}s:20:"wbhm-featured-square";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:77:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/05/david-fleming-e1464035289860-300x300.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:25996;s:14:"optimized_size";i:19281;s:7:"percent";d:25.829999999999998;}s:18:"wbhm-featured-home";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:77:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/05/david-fleming-e1464035289860-484x311.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:37543;s:14:"optimized_size";i:27736;s:7:"percent";d:26.120000000000001;}s:22:"wbhm-featured-carousel";a:5:{s:7:"success";b:1;s:8:"file_url";s:77:"https://news.wbhm.org/media/2016/05/david-fleming-e1464035289860-412x265.jpeg";s:13:"original_size";i:28871;s:14:"optimized_size";i:21502;s:7:"percent";d:25.52;}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
        )

)
1675735156 
1463674117

What does REV Birmingham, the city’s economic development organization, do? They describe themselves as a group “that stimulates business growth and improves quality of life in Birmingham.” But WELD says that mission isn’t clearly visible to Birmingham residents. Reporters from WELD took to Facebook to ask what their readers thought.

“They’re the expensive outsourced economic development department of the mayor,” wrote Joseph Casper Baker III in a Facebook comment. “They’re great at organizing block parties.”

Shirley Hicks, meanwhile, wrote that she had “experienced and observed” REV “helping the different neighborhood business associations get setup [sic] with basic tools they need to enhance communications and coordination…[and evaluating] roadblocks and [helping] smooth processes at City Hall so that people starting new businesses or making changes to existing ones don’t get stuck in paperwork because they couldn’t find the right form or get in touch with the right department.”

Others expressed the opposite perspective. “So far, I’ve only observed them helping just one business in East Lake,” Natalye S. Pond wrote. “I hope someone can show me that I’m wrong.”

Laura Frances Wise added, “I haven’t heard a peep out of REV in nearly 3 years. I didn’t know what was going on with it.”

Nick Patterson, editor of WELD, joined WBHM’s Rachel Osier Lindley to discuss the organization’s history, challenges and mission.

 

Trump’s harsh immigration tactics are taking a political hit

President Trump's popularity on one of his political strengths is in jeopardy.

A drop in CDC health alerts leaves doctors ‘flying blind’

Doctors and public health officials are concerned about the drop in health alerts from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention since President Trump returned for a second term.

Photos: Highlights from the Winter Olympics opening ceremony

Athletes from around the world attended the 2026 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in Milan.

Alabama sets execution for man in auto parts store customer’s death

Gov. Kay Ivey on Thursday set a March 12 execution using nitrogen gas for Charles “Sonny” Burton. Burton was convicted as an accomplice in the shooting death of Doug Battle, a customer who was killed during an 1991 robbery of an auto parts store in Talladega.

Trump posts racist meme of the Obamas — then deletes it

Trump's racist post came at the end of a minute-long video promoting conspiracy theories about the 2020 election. 

Hyperpop, poetry, BDSM or a Moroccan rave allegory? Choose your own cinematic adventure

Charli xcx is on more screens this weekend while Pillion tells a sweet BDSM story.

More Economy Coverage