Economy
Birmingham City Council Strikes Back Over Minimum Wage Bill
The Birmingham City Council is once again trying move up the effective date of its minimum wage increase. This is in response to the fast tracked steps the State Legislature is taking to block this action. The council could vote to move up the effective date from March 1 to Wednesday, February 24. Republican Representative […]
Business Community Watching Bills in the Alabama Legislature
With the Alabama legislative session in full swing, the business community has a number of bills they’re watching closely. These bills could have a significant effect on companies around Birmingham. We highlight a few of them in this week's Magic City Marketplace.
Infamous West End Property Set for Demolition
A blighted property in West End that city officials say has been a scar on that area for too long is being demolished. Birmingham city leaders announced today that demolition of Larkway Gardens begins tomorrow morning, Wednesday, February 17, at 9 a.m. following asbestos removal. In an interview with WBHM last year, Councilwoman Sheila Tyson […]
Why this Coal Industry Downturn may be Different
Alabama’s coal industry has faced its ups and downs through the decades. It’s clearly down now. Walter Energy, for instance, is embroiled in bankruptcy. While the industry has bounced back before, this time might be different. That’s where we start this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Alabama in Need of Road Repairs to Spur Economic Development
A report out this week from a Washington think tank outlines the top transportation maintenance projects it says are needed to improve economic growth in Alabama.
Blueprint Birmingham and Beyond
More than five years after the Birmingham Business Alliance launched Blueprint Birmingham, the BBA is working towards a new strategic plan, called Blueprint 20/20. For more on this and other stories, WBHM's Rachel Osier Lindley spoke to Nick Patterson, editor of the weekly newspaper WELD. Patterson joins WBHM most Thursdays during All Things Considered.
The Low Price and High Cost of Heroin
Heroin overdose deaths are on the rise nationally. In Jefferson County, deaths increased by more than 140 percent in 2014. The numbers were shocking: Heroin caused or contributed to 144 deaths in 2014. Area law enforcement responded by increasing efforts to get traffickers and drugs off the streets, especially in Birmingham.
Alabama’s Aging Infrastructure
Many economic development groups in Alabama consider infrastructure such as roads, bridges and railways essential for spurring growth and jobs. But when it comes to assessments of the state’s infrastructure, Alabama scores poorly. That’s where we start the conversation in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Losing History in One of Birmingham’s Oldest Neighborhoods
Birmingham city leaders are stepping up efforts to deal with dilapidated or abandoned properties. In communities overshadowed by blight, preservation is rarely an option, since resources are devoted to cleaning up and demolishing hazardous properties. In these neighborhoods, residents want to document the past before it’s destroyed. A Crumbling History Andre Brown drives a blue […]
A College Football Edition of Magic City Marketplace
University of Alabama fans are pulling for a win in tonight’s national college football championship game in Phoenix. Meanwhile, Auburn University finished its season much closer to home in the Birmingham Bowl last month. This year’s bowl game drew almost 60,000 to Legion Field. That’s something city leaders cheered, but they also put a lot of money into the game. We talk about that this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
What’s Next For “It’s Nice to Have You in Birmingham” Trademark Debate?
The future of "It's Nice to Have You in Birmingham" is still up in the air. Last year, local design studio Yellowhammer Creative filed a trademark application for the phrase. They've used it on murals and t-shirts, and argue it's become synonymous with their brand. But three parties are petitioning Yellowhammer's application with the United States Patent and Trademark Office.
What to Watch for in 2016 Birmingham Business
With 2015 in the books, a new year lies ahead with hopes and possibilities. To kick off another year of Magic City Marketplace, Birmingham Business Journal editor Cindy Fisher Crawford explains what to watch for in 2016 as it relates to Alabama’s business community.
What Will 2017 Bring for Birmingham’s Economy?
We talk about what is expected in the Birmingham area economy in this week's Magic City Marketplace.
Uber Up and Running in Birmingham
Ride hailing services are set to begin operating in Birmingham this afternoon. Uber has confirmed that users should be able to hail rides from their smartphones beginning at 4 p.m. Ride-hailing services such as Uber and Lyft let people use smartphone apps to book and pay for rides.
Those Economic Impact Studies Don’t Always Add Up
We hear politicians touting economic impact numbers for football games, proposed stadiums or a new factory. But those numbers may not match what happens in reality.
Birmingham’s Forgotten Innovation District
Drive along First Avenue North, just on the other side of the railroad tracks from Regions Field downtown, and you might notice Innovation Depot. This is a business incubator that’s done a lot in recent years to spur entrepreneurship in Birmingham. But it’s actually part of a larger innovation district. Most people haven't heard of Birmingham's innovation district, but some city boosters say it is finally ready to take off. We talk about that in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Where Birmingham’s Business Community Sends its Campaign Cash
Alabama has seen at least seven presidential candidates make stops in the state. Much of the credit for raising Alabama’s profile on the campaign trail is given to the fact the state banned together with other southern states to hold their primaries on March 1st. It's been dubbed the SEC primary. While candidates are seeing votes, they’re also seeking donors. That’s where we start in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
JeffCo Residents Left Paying Bill on Billion Dollar Utility Scandal
Another Alabama lawmaker uses social media as a political podium, this time encouraging his followers to buy more guns, a settlement regarding a major banking institution may have a lasting and negative impact on Jefferson County residents and is Kyle Whitmire the Archie Bunker of the new millennium? The answer in this week’s conversation with […]
UAB Student, Iraq Vet Hopes to Help Feed Black Belt with Aquaponics
Ramon Jeter was raised by a single mother on the west side of Birmingham. Right out of Ramsay High School he joined the Navy. He eventually served as a field medic in Iraq. Now the married new father is studying public health at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, and he’s been accepted to Clinton […]
Uncertain Future for State’s Historic Building Tax Credit
It’s a busy day inside the McWane Science Center downtown. Kids play around a brightly colored Rube Goldberg machine in the center’s pristine lobby. But look out the window across Second Avenue North, and there's something very different: the eight-story building that once housed the Pizitz department store, closed now for almost 30 years. Windows are missing, and the façade shows 92 years’ worth of cracks and stains. You’ll also see construction crews working to rejuvenate the building.
Condoleezza Rice, Gov. Bentley and Others Welcome Japanese Business Leaders to Birmingham
Japanese business leaders met Monday at the historic Alabama Theater in Birmingham with delegates from a handful of southern states for a conference aimed at strengthening cultural ties and expanding commercial opportunities.
Potential Threats to Alabama’s Automotive Industry
Alabama leaders love to tout the state’s automotive industry. What started with the Mercedes plant in Tuscaloosa County in the mid-1990s now includes Honda and Hyundai plants plus numerous suppliers. While the auto industry has increasingly moved to the Deep South, Alabama’s success could be threatened by a place further south. We talk about it in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Blueprint Birmingham After Five Years
Five years ago this fall, the economic development group Birmingham Business Alliance announced Blueprint Birmingham. With a big marketing push it was hailed as five-year strategic plan that would change a region that so often lags behind. With that time frame over we talk about what the plan did in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
The Financial Confidence Gap
Surveys show women make the majority of purchasing decisions in any given household. But when it comes to confidence with money, they trail men. We talk about that in this week’s Magic City Marketplace. Birmingham Business Journal editor Cindy Fisher Crawford tells WBHM’s Andrew Yeager about this Vanderbilt University study and what it reveals about a financial confidence gap.
A Potential Change for Credit Unions has Banks Unhappy
One winner in the recovery since the Great Recession has been credit unions. They’ve seen growth in membership and lending activity. And that’s put them at odds with those who traditionally handle services like this – banks. We hear about it in this week’s Magic City Marketplace. Birmingham Business Journal editor Cindy Fisher Crawford tells WBHM’s Andrew Yeager about what drove that growth for credit unions.
Reopening VictoryLand
Alabama casino developer Milton McGregor won a legal victory earlier this month which appears to put to rest a five-year court battle over his Macon County casino VictoryLand. A judge said the state had no grounds to seize thousands of electronic bingo machines from VictoryLand. So McGregor is working to reopen the facility. We talk about it in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
Changing Gears with the Launch of Bikeshare in Birmingham
Kiosks have been popping up in parking spots around Birmingham. These 40 stations will hold 400 bikes. They're part of Zyp BikeShare, which starts tomorrow. Cycling has devotees in the Magic City, but plenty still see it as a risky way to travel. Cycling enthusiasts hope more bikes on the road will change attitudes.
Alabama’s Film Tax Credits Face Some Skepticism and Critique
Most states offer tax incentives meant to attract film production-create jobs and stimulate the economy. As budgets tighten, some are scaling back or eliminating them. But even after recent heated budget battles, cash-strapped Alabama is keeping those tax credits, prompting some to question their effect on the fiscal bottom line.
Alabama Launchpad
Let’s say you have a great business idea. That’s a good start but it takes funding to get the idea off the ground. One of the ways Alabama entrepreneurs have been receiving funding for their ventures is the Alabama Launchpad competition. We talk about it in this week's Magic City Marketplace.
Birmingham Woman Shares Her Story From Struggle To Success With National Leaders
“Everything has changed for the better for us. I’m excited because there is still more to come. We can only go up from here.” Monique Jones
Trinity Medical Center Moving and Taking on a New Name
This weekend Trinity Medical Center will become Grandview Medical Center as it moves from Birmingham’s east side to the busy Highway 280 corridor. It’s a move that’s been more than 10 years in the making and one that developers expect to bear fruit beyond just a new hospital. We talk about it in this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
The Future of U.S. Steel
What remains of Birmingham’s steel industry took a major hit this summer when U.S. Steel announced it would be idling its blast furnace in Fairfield. About 1,100 workers were laid off. Thousands of more workers have lost jobs there through the decades, but U.S. Steel is trying to stay ahead in a very competitive economy. That’s where we start this week’s Magic City Marketplace.
